The short version of posting a case, sitting on a jury, XP, and the timers that keep things moving.
You write what happened and ask one question. Other people take the open jury seats, read the story, vote, and can say why. When every seat has voted, the tally is the verdict.
We email you about verdicts and cases you posted or sat on — including when a seat or case closes — and we may email when a public case still needs jurors. The juror-needed email does not go to the person who posted the case. We do not send marketing. You can turn case emails off in Account settings. Password-reset and confirmation emails still send.
You can also take a seat from the home page when a jury is forming.
Yes. After posting your case as Side A, you can summon Side B with a private link. If they respond, their version appears alongside yours so the jury can consider both sides. Skip it when you post and you can still invite them from the case page until a juror votes.
Getting the link pauses votes for 24 hours so they can write. Jurors may take seats right away. They vote after Side B responds, or after 24 hours. If only Side A wrote, that’s all the jury sees.
You can post 3 cases in a 24-hour window. Starting a case uses one credit; voting as a juror does not. Your 24-hour window starts when you post your first case. All three posting credits reset together 24 hours later — it does not refill one at a time, and it does not reset at midnight. The start-a-case page shows how many you have left.
Once voting is open, a juror has 60 minutes to cast a vote. If they don’t, their seat is released so someone else can sit. That keeps a silent seat from stalling the whole jury. You can also leave the seat yourself before you vote, if you realize you don’t have a take.
If the case is still waiting on Side B, the clock does not run. It starts when votes actually open.
If you posted the case, you can close it from the case page before a verdict. Use that if a jury is taking too long, or you no longer want it heard. Seated jurors (and the other person, if they were invited) get a case email if they have case emails on. There is no verdict.
A case that stays without a finished jury for 7 days is closed automatically, with the same kind of notice.
After a verdict, the case appears on the home page and in past verdicts so others can read it. If you posted it, you can remove it from that public list on the verdict page. People who sat on the jury — and Side B, if they were involved — can still open it. You can put it back anytime.
When the verdict is in, people who took part can reply under juror reasoning. Everyone else can read.
Yes. On the case page, use Delete this case. That removes the story, votes, and written takes for everyone, including people who sat. They get a notice. XP already earned stays. If you only want it off the public list, use Remove from archive instead.
It might. By using the site, you agree a public case you post may appear in social media from Ask a Jury and people we collaborate with, to bring traffic here. Short snippet only. We will not use your email or identifying details. If you delete a case or remove it from the public archive, we will not use it in new posts. Details are in the Terms of Service.
XP is for showing up, not for being popular. You earn it when you post a case (10, or 25 the first time), when you vote (10), when you add a written take (5), when a jury you sat on reaches a verdict (5), and when you leave your first comment on a completed case (3). Badges unlock as you keep doing that.
Other people see your username and avatar. XP lives on your profile. They never see your email.
Ask a Jury is for entertainment and community perspective only. It is not a court, not legal advice, and verdicts are not legally binding. Jury responses are opinions from other users. They are not medical, mental-health, legal, financial, emergency, or other professional advice. Do not rely on the service as a substitute for qualified professional help.