People can be excused from jury duty if they have a situation or condition that makes it difficult for them to serve. Lying to be excused is illegal, and ignoring a summons is usually illegal. Exemptions may depend on jurisdiction and can include illness, childcare, financial hardship, and student status. Legitimate engagements can result in temporary relief. Claiming inability to be impartial may also result in exemption, but courts may be skeptical.
Many people consider it their civic duty to show up and serve when called to the jury. There are some instances, however, where a person may have a situation or condition that makes it difficult for them to serve on a jury. In that case, a person can ask to be released from service. It’s important to understand, however, that in most cases, lying to be excused from jury duty is against the law. Ignoring a juror summons is also usually illegal.
An individual’s chances of being exempt from serving on a jury may depend on the jurisdiction in which he or she is called to serve. Usually, a person has the option of being excused if he can show that serving would cause him undue hardship. For example, if an individual has an illness, disease, or condition that makes it difficult or impossible to serve, a court may exonerate him or her from jury duty. In many places, however, a person would need to present a medical note confirming the illness or condition to be excused.
In some places, a person may be exempt from jury duty because they have to take care of young children and have no one to take their place. Similarly, this excuse can be accepted if a person is caring for a dependent relative who cannot be left alone. Accepting such an apology is often at the discretion of a judge. In fact, some jurisdictions provide childcare for jurors, eliminating lack of childcare provision as a viable excuse.
Sometimes people ask to be exempt from being a jury member due to financial hardship. For example, a person may state that she cannot afford to waste time at work. While jurors may receive a small salary, this amount is typically very small and not enough to compensate a worker for a day off work. In some jurisdictions, courts are unlikely to accept financial hardship as an excuse, while others may make exceptions for those who can show evidence of serious financial problems that would be exacerbated by time away from work.
An individual may request to be relieved of his jury duty because he believes that he will be fired for lack of work. In most places, however, laws protect employees from being fired because they lack the work to serve on a jury panel. On the other hand, students can be exempt from jury duty in many jurisdictions. However, they may have to provide proof that they are enrolled in school and plead that jury duty would interfere with their studies.
If an individual has a legitimate engagement, issue, or event that would make it difficult for him to serve on a jury on a particular date, he may be temporarily relieved of jury duty. For example, if a person is going on their honeymoon, they can request a postponement to a later date. However, he should usually serve when his deferment period is over.
Because jurors are expected to be impartial, a person may also be excused from jury duty if they claim they are unable to make a fair or impartial decision. It’s important to keep in mind that many potential jurors use this excuse, however. Thus, courts may be skeptical when they hear it again.
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