Requesting a Postponement

You may postpone your jury service up to six months from your initial report date.

For reasons such as a scheduling conflict or a temporary emergency situation, you may request a postponement of your term of jury service by telephone. You must notify the Jury Office immediately upon receipt of your summons or as soon as the situation arises, at 1-800-998-9035 & press "2" for a jury clerk (between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm Monday thru Friday, excluding federal holidays). If granted, your service will be postponed to another term and you will be mailed another summons for the new term of service.

You may also check the status of your request for postponement by accessing the Court’s website or call the Jury Department to speak to a clerk.

Jurors who appear and are granted an excuse or postponement will not be compensated for attendance, mileage, or subsistence.

Requesting an Excuse

All requests to be excused from jury service must be submitted in writing prior to Jury Service. Please use return envelope provided with summons, or mail to address on summons.

Physical or Mental Disability

You must fully explain your situation in a letter addressed to the court and mail to the court in the self-addressed envelope provided. You must also include a doctor’s note along with the letter.

Child Care / Care of a Dependent

Please provide a detailed explanation of your work arrangements and the type of care you are providing, including the ages of those for whom you are caring and the time periods during which you provide care.

Language

If you are completing the questionnaire/summons for someone else, please provide your name and relation to the person.

Distance

If you are claiming a hardship because you live 80 miles or more (one-way) from the court, you must explain your hardship and why staying overnight at the court’s expense would not relieve that hardship. Provide this information in the “Requesting an Excuse” section.

Financial / Business / Employment Hardship

If you are requesting to be excused because of business, employment, or financial hardship, you must request this in writing immediately upon receipt of your summons and return your letter with the completed information form located at the lower portion of your summons, in the reply envelope provided.

Although financial hardship and job related issues are not an allowable excuse, if these or any issues affect you, it is in your best interest to write a letter to the court explaining your hardship. By doing this, the court is better able to work with you to make your jury service satisfactory to the court's needs and your own. Requests for excuse must be submitted and approved in advance. Medical excuses must have a doctor's statement attached to aid the Court in rendering a decision. Prior to your first reporting date, you MUST always call the 800-998-9035 after 6PM to obtain the status of your excuse request.

Allowable excuse categories are as follows: (1) Persons over 70 years of age; (2) Any person having active care and custody of a child or children under 10 years of age whose health and/or safety would be jeopardized by absence of such person for jury service; or a person who is essential to the care of aged or infirm persons; (3) Persons who have served as a grand or petit juror in Federal court within the past 2 years; (4) Volunteer safety personnel - individuals serving a public agency in an official capacity, without compensation, as firefighters or members of a rescue squad or ambulance crew.