

If your city picks you for jury duty, you may not like it very much. If you retired several years ago, then maybe you won’t mind if you don’t have very many pressing responsibilities. However, if you work a full schedule already, you may not appreciate the idea of having this extra task.
You should know about some legitimate ways to opt out of jury duty. At some point, though, you will probably have to do it. We’ll talk about what happens when you receive a jury summons right now.
How Do You Know Your City Picked You for Jury Duty?
First, we should discuss how you’ll know your city picked you for jury duty. Usually, you will get a piece of mail that tells you that your city selected you. It usually looks very official.
When you open it and see what it says, you’ll notice a phone number that you must call. The letter should also tell you when you should call that number.
Can You Defer Jury Duty?
If you don’t want to do jury duty right then, you can defer it. This means you’re telling your city that you can’t handle this obligation right then. If you’re busy with work or other pressing matters, this move might make the most sense.
You often have a different number of times that you can defer jury duty depending on the state in which you live. In many states, you can defer jury duty up to three times from when you get that initial summons in the mail.
That sometimes comes with a caveat, though. For instance, in New York state, you can defer jury duty up to three times. However, you can only do so for eighteen months. At the end of that time, you must go in for jury duty or face penalties.
How Do You Defer Jury Duty?
If you decide that you can’t report for jury duty when you get the summons, or that you don’t want to at that time, then you will need to call the phone number on the letter. This will connect you with the Jury’s Commissioner’s office.
You must usually call and postpone at least a week before your scheduled appearance, though again, it varies state by state. You will provide the jury number on the summons.
The Commissioner’s office will ask you to choose a new date, typically within the next few months. You must make a commitment. When the new date comes, you should be there. Again, you could face severe penalties by skipping the date you stipulated.
What Happens if You Can’t Make It on Your New Date?
In rare cases, maybe you can’t show up for jury duty on your postponed date. If that happens, then you must again reach out to the Jury Commissioner’s office.
You will need to ask for an excuse from your duties. You can tell them the reason. They generally understand that sometimes, a situation might arise where you legitimately can’t get there. It’s likely they will want proof that you have a valid reason, though.
If you have a medical reason for why you can’t get show up for jury duty, they might want you to send over a doctor’s note that explains your injury or ailment. If you can’t appear for jury duty because you’re watching over a sick relative, they might want papers proving that reason as well.
You might also have a few other reasons that the Jury Commission will accept as valid. If you recently gave birth and you’re breastfeeding, that will probably get you off the hook. If you can’t get there because of financial reasons, they might excuse you.
However, in most instances, they want you there, and you must comply. You can defer multiple times, but sooner or later, unless unusual circumstances exist, your city feels that by appearing for jury duty, you’re fulfilling a civil obligation.
What Happens When You Show Up for Jury Duty
If you show up for jury duty, whether that’s the first time or you put it off several times, you will go through the same process. You will have to wait in a room, usually at the courthouse, with others in the juror pool.
You might have to wait several hours. It’s usually fairly uninteresting. You might think to bring a book or your laptop. You can play games on your smartphone as well.
Eventually, they will call you by number. They might call several people at a time, and if you are in that group, you will usually go into a courtroom.
What Happens in the Courtroom?
There, you will likely see a judge sitting behind the bench and a defendant with their lawyer. You may also see a prosecutor. If it’s a civil matter, then you will see both a defendant and a plaintiff with their respective attorneys.
The judge will address everyone. They will usually tell you a little about the case, though they will warn you that you’re not supposed to talk about it with anyone outside the courthouse, including your family members.
It’s not often that you’ll appear as a potential juror for something scandalous, like a murder or kidnapping. More often it’s something like vandalism, breaking and entering, car theft, etc.
The judge might start asking each potential juror questions. They may ask each potential juror whether they have any biases that might cause them to not be able to judge a person’s guilt or innocence.
For example, if the defendant shot and killed someone, the judge might ask if anyone lost a family member to gun violence. That would likely disqualify that individual.
If you feel there’s some reason why can’t act fairly and impartially as a juror, then tell the judge that. Tell that truth, though. You can get in a lot of trouble if you lie.
Ultimately, the lawyers will decide whether they want you as a jury member.