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Our constitution guarantees that juries be comprised of a fair cross section of the community and federal law specifically defines who may be excused from jury service. The court recognizes that jury duty will constitute a disruption of most person's employment and/or personal schedules. In an effort to reduce that inconvenience to our citizens, we have shortened the terms of jury service. Most petit jurors will serve only an average of 2-5 days over their entire term. Additionally, we provide our jurors with considerable notice to allow them to adjust their schedules. Once a juror has been summoned to serve in this district, unless they qualify for a non-discretionary excuse, they may only be excused upon a showing of undue hardship or extreme inconvenience.

NON-DISCRETIONARY EXCUSES:

Even if a juror qualifies for a non-discretionary excuse, they nonetheless must make their request to be excused in writing and it must be approved by a federal judge. The following jurors will be excused from jury service upon written request, with proof to establish the basis for their excuse request, once approved by a federal judge:

*Persons who are not a citizen of the United States.
*Persons who are not 18 years or older.
*Persons who are unable to read, write and understand the English language with a degree of proficiency sufficient to satisfactorily fill out the qualification questionnaire.
*Persons who are unable to speak the English language.
*Persons who are over age 70.
*Persons who have served on a grand or petit jury within a 2-year period and upon receipt of their jury record from the court where they served.
*Members in active service in the Armed Forces of the United States.
*Full-time members of the fire or police departments of any state, district, territory, possession, or subdivision thereof.
*Volunteer safety personnel, such as persons who serve without compensation as firefighters or members of a rescue squad or ambulance crew for a public agency.
*Public officers in the executive, legislative, or judicial branches of the government of the United States, or any state, district, territory, possession, or subdivision thereof, who are actively engaged in the performance of official duties.
*Persons who have a charge pending against them for the commission of, or have been convicted in a state or federal court of record of, a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one (1) year and that person's civil rights have not been restored by pardon or amnesty.

UNDUE HARDSHIP/EXTREME INCONVENIENCE:

Unless a summoned juror falls within one of the above-mentioned categories, that person must serve unless they can establish, to the satisfaction of a federal judge, that jury service presents an undue hardship. Any such request to be excused from jury service based on a claim of undue hardship must be (1) submitted in writing; (2) submitted personally by the juror, and (3) submitted by the deadline listed in the jury instructions provided by the court. This deadline is strictly enforced to assure all jurors are treated fairly. Please again note that no excuses may be requested over the phone. Please submit any written requests for excuse to the address provided below. All jurors will receive a written response to their request. Please do not call to discuss the status of your request or the decision of the court. Unless you receive a written dismissal, you must continue to report on the above dates.

Common hardship requests are discussed below:

PREPAID Vacation or Business:
Once a juror has received a court order to appear, no further business/personal plans should be scheduled that would conflict with their ability to report anytime during your 2-month jury term. Persons may be excused if they booked their travel plans prior to receiving their jury summons. All such requests must be accompanied by flight, hotel and/or room confirmations demonstrating that the plans were made before the juror received their summons. Requests that cannot be verified may not be granted prior to jury selection.

Medical Excuse or Deferment:
If a juror is temporarily on leave from employment due to a disability, they may be temporarily excused from jury duty if they provide a leave or disability statement from their employer with an anticipated date of return to work. If a disabled juror is not employed, any such excuse must be accompanied by an original letter from the juror’s physician outlining the medical condition that prevents them from serving as a juror. Due to privacy laws, the court cannot obtain this letter for a juror. Please do not submit RX notes or stamped copies. Of course, should a juror experience an unforeseeable emergency medical problem, they may contact the jury staff at 1-800-776-0320, Option 5.

Students:
Students may receive a one-time deferment until summer break or graduation, whichever is earlier. All such requests must be supported by a written registrar confirmation of full-time status and a class schedule indicating their last date of classes.

Child Care:
If a juror has a child under 10 years of age, does not work outside the home and has no spouse or family members to assist you, they may request an undue hardship excuse.

Family Bereavement Leave:
If you are on temporary bereavement leave from employment, you may request a temporary excuse from jury service during the bereavement period. Such a leave request must be supported by a copy of your leave approved by your employer.

Deceased Juror:
Because the court updates its jury list every 4 years, occasionally we issue a summons in the name of a person who is now deceased. If that occurred, we apologize. Simply return the summons together with a copy of the death certificate.

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