How to Postpone Jury Duty

Co-authored by Clinton M. Sandvick, JD, PhD

Last Updated: September 16, 2021 References

One of the responsibilities of citizenship is serving on a jury. If you are called to serve, you will receive a summons in the mail informing you of when to show up at court. However, sometimes life gets in the way and you can't serve. To postpone your jury service, you need to inform the court either by phone or online.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Preparing to Postpone

1
Don't skip jury service. The summons you receive commanding you to appear in court is a legal document. If you ignore it, you could subject yourself to fines or other punishment.^{[1]
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Research source} Accordingly, you should not just throw the summons in the trash and forget about it.
2
Check if you can postpone. Not every court will allow jurors to postpone their jury service to a more convenient date. Also, some counties will allow postponement in only certain situations but not others. In order to see if you can postpone, you can call the court 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.
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Try to find more convenient dates. If you cannot serve when called, then try to find some dates in the near future when you can serve on the jury. You will probably be asked to pick new dates or to give the court a general sense of when you will be available to serve.
- In Sacramento County, for example, you cannot request an indefinite postponement. Instead, you can request up to 90 days.^{[2]
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Get supporting documentation. Some courts grant a deferral only in limited situations. These courts want to see written documentation supporting the reason why you are requesting a deferral.
- For example, if you are recovering from a medical situation, then you would need a doctor's note. Also, if serving would cause severe financial hardship, then you should be prepared to show the court financial documents, such as W-2 forms and evidence of monthly expenses.^{[3]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Postponing Jury Duty

1
Call. You should be provided a phone number on your summons/notice. Call and ask the person at the courthouse if you can postpone your service. Briefly explain why.
- You shouldn't wait too long to call. For example, in Los Angeles County you cannot postpone if you wait until the weekend before you are supposed to serve.^{[4]
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- In Colorado, you must submit your postponement request at least six business days before your jury service date.^{[5]
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  Research source} Regardless of where you live, try to inform the court as soon as possible.
2
Postpone jury service online. Your county may also have an online website where you can request a postponement. The summons may direct you to the website. Alternately, you may have to search the Internet. Type “postpone jury duty” and then your county.
- Each online system is different. However, you will probably be asked for a juror index number (or other number provided on the summons) and the service date (also on your summons).
- You then might be asked to provide new dates when you can serve.
3
Request disqualification instead. You might be disqualified from serving on the jury. This is different than merely not being able to serve because of scheduling or work conflicts. Instead, certain people are disqualified from serving on a jury. If you meet one of those reason, then tell the court by phone or online:^{[6]
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- you are not a U.S. citizen
- you are not at least 18 years of age
- you do not reside in the county
- your understanding of the English language is insufficient
- you are an appointed conservator
- you are serving as a Grand juror or you served on a jury within the last 12 months
- you 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
Get excused. If you are unable to get a postponement, then you can 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 judge and lawyers are questioning you during the “voir dire” process, you can deny that you can be fair or impartial.^{[8]
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- Try to find a reason why you would be biased. If you are called to serve on a criminal jury, think about whether you or a family member has ever been the victim of a crime. If you have, then tell the lawyers that this experience prevents you from being objective.
- Even if the judge doesn't believe you, the attorneys might. They are able to strike jurors from the panel who they do not think will be fair to their client.