Requesting a Postponement of Jury Service
Select one of the options below that best describes your situation and follow the instructions.
| I have not yet responded to my summons by returning the Jury Information Form...AND my service is at least one week away: | Please return the Jury Information Form found on the lower portion of your summons. You will find instructions for requesting a postponement on the back of the form. Follow the call-in instructions on your summons to determine if your request was granted, or you may use eJuror to complete your Jury Information Form online and request a postponement of your service. Note: Your request will be processed quicker using eJuror than if you returned the form by regular mail. |
| I have already responded to my summons...AND it is NOT after 3:00 pm on the Friday prior to my reporting date. Nor is it the weekend prior to my reporting date: | Please contact the jury staff by e-mail explaining your hardship and indicate a month in the near future that you are available to serve. Be sure to type out your name and include your 9-digit Juror Participant Number. Do not assume your request for a postponement was received and granted unless you receive confirmation back by e-mail or by calling the Jury Information Line as instructed on the back side of your summons. |
| It is after 3:00 p.m. on the Friday prior to my reporting date: |
You may contact the court by e-mail or phone, but most likely it is too late to request a postponement -- UNLESS you have a family or medical emergency. You must report if instructed to do so. You will be given the opportunity, during jury selection, to explain your circumstances to the trial judge and request that you not be chosen as a juror. |
| Last Minute Family or Medical Emergency | If you have a family or medical emergency, please contact the court. We prefer that you e-mail us now since we'll need a written explanation from you. Or you may call after 8:00 a.m. on the day of trial. You may not hear back from us right away, but please consider yourself excused from reporting. Additional documentation may be requested from you to substantiate your hardship. |
Employment and Financial Hardships
Please note that the court does not have a provision that allows prospective jurors to opt out of serving permanently due to employment and/or financial hardships. You may request a postponement to serve at a later time that works better for you (typically up to six months out), however, if you say that you can never serve, your request to be permanently excused will not be granted. In other words, we are willing to work with you by offering another date that will enable you to serve.
We understand that time away from work can can create severe undue hardship. If at anytime you are required to report for jury service, you'll be given the opportunity to explain your individual circumstances to the judge during the jury selection. The judge will carefully consider your hardship when choosing who's going to serve as a jury on the trial. If you aren't chosen as a juror, you'll only be required to report that one day during your term.
Voluntary Permanent Excuses
Upon written request, you may be permanently excused if you fall under any of the following categories:
| Prior Federal Jury Service |
You must have served Federal jury service at a U.S. District Court within the last two years. Give the name of court and dates of service. Note that this does not apply to serving in other courts, such as state, county, or local government courts. |
| Volunteer Firefighter or Member of a Rescue Squad or Ambulance Crew |
You must serve without compensation for a federal, state, or local government agency in this capacity. Describe your service and specify the agency for which you work in writing. |
Disqualifications from Serving
You may be disqualified or exempt from serving if you fall into any of the following categories. If you are summoned and think you might not be eligible to serve, please contact the court immediately.
| Permanent Medical Condition |
A doctor's letter is not required as long as you explain in writing and the court agrees with your statement. Also, if an accommodation can be made by the court (and you wish to serve), please make your request in writing so that we can attempt to assist you. |
| Moved Out-Of-District |
If you do not live in one of the 19 counties that make up our district, then you are no longer eligible to serve. This does not apply to students going to school or those working out of the district. It only applies to those who don't consider their permanent residence to be in this district. |
| Pending Criminal Charges or Criminal Conviction | If you have pending criminal charges or a conviction where punishment could be imprisonment of one year or more, then you may not be eligible to serve |
| Difficulty Understanding the English Language |
You may not be eligible to serve if you have difficulty reading, writing, speaking or understanding the English language. |
| Exempt Occupations |
There are three occupations where you are exempt from serving as a juror:
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Citizenship |
You are not a U.S. Citizen of the United States |
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Age |
You are under 18 years of age. |