Jury duty can be postponed with valid reasons, listed on the summons, and may be rescheduled within a year. Disqualification is possible for certain individuals, and failure to comply with a jury subpoena may result in a warrant.
Jury duty is a civic responsibility, but the court recognizes that it can be a burden. Individuals who need to postpone jury duty for any number of reasons can make arrangements to do so by returning the jury summons with documentation explaining why they need to postpone. It is also possible to apply for disqualification from jury duty, if a prospective juror meets certain requirements that disqualify him or her from serving.
A typical jury summons will provide information on the date and time of service and the location of the courthouse. Information on options for postponing judging is available overleaf. If jury service on a particular date would be a hardship, the juror may request that jury service be rescheduled to a different date in the relatively near future. Depending on the court system, jury duty usually has to be moved to a date within the following year.
There is a list of valid reasons on the back of the jury summons that people can use to indicate why they need to postpone jury duty. Some courts ask jurors to choose a different date, while others simply reschedule the summons to a different date. Work is usually not considered a reason to defer jury duty, but legitimate reasons can include medical problems such as a late pregnancy that could interfere with juror service or an inability to get to court. This form is signed under penalty of perjury and individuals should not falsify information to try to postpone juror duty.
In the event of a disqualification, a juror indicates that he or she is in no way fit to serve as a juror. When a juror is disqualified, the jury assignment will be cancelled, not postponed or rescheduled. The juror form also includes a list of potential grounds for disqualification. Some typical reasons for disqualification include: age, as jury service is not required for minors or persons of a certain age; be a legislator with a legislature currently in session; be a judge; be a convicted felon or current prisoner; have a disability that would make jury service difficult or impossible; citizenship status, as only citizens are required to complete jury service; and previous service on a jury in a recent period of time, or upcoming jury service, as the number of times individuals may be required to serve within a given period of time is limited.
There are certain situations that will not be eligible for disqualification or deferment upon submission of the subpoena, requiring the juror to appear in court to explain to the judge why he or she cannot complete jury service. It is important to respond to these subpoenas because the judge may choose to issue warrants for individuals who fail to comply with the jury subpoena.
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