How Much Notice Are You Given For Jury Service

Download Article

One of the responsibilities of citizenship is serving on a jury. If y'all are chosen to serve, you lot will receive a summons in the mail informing you lot of when to show upwardly at courtroom. Even so, sometimes life gets in the fashion and you can't serve. To postpone your jury service, you need to inform the court either by phone or online.

i

Don't skip jury service. The summons yous receive commanding y'all to appear in courtroom is a legal document. If you ignore it, y'all could subject area yourself to fines or other punishment.^[1] Appropriately, you should not merely throw the summons in the trash and forget about it.
2
Check if yous tin can postpone. Non every court will let jurors to postpone their jury service to a more convenient appointment. Also, some counties will allow postponement in simply certain situations just not others. In order to come across if you tin postpone, y'all can phone call the courtroom at the phone number provided on your summons.
- You can also search online. Your state court often explains how to postpone jury service on its website.
Advertisement
three
Try to find more convenient dates. If you lot cannot serve when chosen, so attempt to find some dates in the near future when yous can serve on the jury. You will probably be asked to pick new dates or to requite the courtroom a general sense of when you lot volition be available to serve.
- In Sacramento County, for example, y'all cannot asking an indefinite postponement. Instead, you lot can request up to 90 days.^[2]
4
Go supporting documentation. Some courts grant a deferral simply in limited situations. These courts want to run into written documentation supporting the reason why y'all are requesting a deferral.
- For example, if you are recovering from a medical situation, then you would demand a medico's notation. Also, if serving would crusade astringent financial hardship, and then you should be prepared to show the court financial documents, such every bit W-2 forms and evidence of monthly expenses.^[three]

1
Call. You should be provided a phone number on your summons/notice. Call and ask the person at the courthouse if yous tin can postpone your service. Briefly explicate why.
- You shouldn't wait too long to call. For example, in Los Angeles County you lot cannot postpone if yous wait until the weekend before yous are supposed to serve.^[4]
- In Colorado, you must submit your postponement request at to the lowest degree half-dozen business organisation days before your jury service date.^[5] Regardless of where you lot alive, try to inform the courtroom as soon as possible.
2
Postpone jury service online. Your canton may likewise have an online website where you can asking a postponement. The summons may direct you lot to the website. Alternately, y'all may have to search the Internet. Blazon "postpone jury duty" and and so your county.
- Each online organization is different. Withal, you volition probably be asked for a juror index number (or other number provided on the summons) and the service date (also on your summons).
- Yous then might be asked to provide new dates when yous can serve.
iii
Asking disqualification instead. You might exist disqualified from serving on the jury. This is unlike than merely non being able to serve considering of scheduling or piece of work conflicts. Instead, certain people are disqualified from serving on a jury. If y'all meet one of those reason, then tell the court by phone or online:^{[half dozen]} ^[7]
- you are not a U.Due south. citizen
- yous are not at least xviii years of age
- you do non reside in the county
- your understanding of the English language language is insufficient
- you are an appointed conservator
- you are serving every bit a M juror or you served on a jury within the last 12 months
- y'all have been convicted of a felony (or of malfeasance while in office) and have not had your civil rights restored
- you are a peace officer
- other reasons
4
Become excused. If you are unable to become a postponement, and then you tin always try to get excused from service on the day when the jury is picked. Go to court and take your summons and any provided questionnaire. When the estimate and lawyers are questioning you during the "voir dire" procedure, you lot can deny that you can be fair or impartial.^[8]
- Try to find a reason why you would be biased. If you are called to serve on a criminal jury, think near whether you or a family fellow member has ever been the victim of a offense. If y'all have, then tell the lawyers that this feel prevents you from being objective.
- Even if the gauge doesn't believe you, the attorneys might. They are able to strike jurors from the panel who they practise not retrieve volition exist fair to their client.

Advertizing

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your electronic mail address to get a bulletin when this question is answered.

Submit

You shouldn't prevarication to the court in order to get out of jury service. In fact, lying could go you lot in trouble with the estimate.^[9]

Advertising

Almost This Commodity

Article Summary 10

If you need to postpone your jury service, telephone call the courtroom using the number provided on your summons as soon as possible. Alternatively, check on your canton's website to see if you can postpone online. Whichever way you contact the courts, take some more user-friendly dates set, since you'll probably exist asked to reschedule your jury duty. If you're asked to provide supporting documents, like a doc'south note, take information technology to the court in person, or call them to ask how you tin send it over. For more tips from our Legal co-author, including how to request disqualification if yous don't meet the jury duty criteria, read on!

Did this summary help you?

Cheers to all authors for creating a page that has been read 125,717 times.

Did this commodity help you?