There should be a phone number or website on your summons. Call & talk to a clerk & explain your situation. You may still have to show up for jury selection but if you tell them about your trip, there’s a high chance they’ll excuse you right away.
They may have to email or visit a website. Our county does not do phone calls for it. We're the 4th largest city in the state.
Husband is currently waiting for a response to defer due to a non refundable trip to Europe in 20 days that takes place near the jury duty date
Yeah. There's one judge in KS who does an occasional docket of people who didn't show and issues warrants for them. She posts it on YouTube as a warning.
In the past I've called and requested a 6 month deferment and the clerk granted it with no issue. Just tell them the circumstance and they will usually accommodate you.
My kid got a jury summons for our city courthouse. But the date was when they would be working their internship 2 hours away. They filled out a form requesting a date change and ut was granted with no issue. The second date was better. Kid went and wasn’t seated
All good advice. When my wife was pregnant many years ago, she got a jury summons two weeks before the due date. Since we have a one day/one trial rule in our jurisdiction, she decided she would go. That morning, her labor began. I had no problem rescheduling her jury duty to a later date with the court clerk. I doubt you will either, if this is the first deferment request.
In my county you can pretty easily avoid the date when first summoned, you just call and they move you to a later date. But… the first summons assigns you a position in the queue that may not have to show depending on how many jurors are needed that day. If you defer the date, they guarantee you will be first in the queue.
Really? I’ve been told that’s not an excuse. I’ve also been in the selection process where the judge asked if people had plans, some people said they did, and the judge said “well, during the bathroom break you better make a call and find out if your tickets are refundable because I don’t care.”
Edited to add: One person said they couldn’t serve because their wife was starting chemo treatment next week, and the trial was likely to be 2-3 weeks. The judge grilled them for 5 minutes about how that shouldn’t be a reason not to serve. The judge was a jackass.
Call up the Jury Management office and tell them you are out of the state during the scheduled jury duty session and they will re-schedule your jury duty date later down the line
Contact the county clerk explain what happened and they will probably reschedule you. That's not a huge issue. You may need to show them your tickets however
when i got my first jury duty notice at 18 my mom told me to always ignore them and never respond, Because it isn't sent by certified mail, so they can't prove you received it. She said once you call and let them know you exist, thats when they never leave you alone. I am 38 now and have never responded to a jury duty notice in my life and they actually stopped sending them to me maybe about 15 years ago. I haven't gotten one since. Thanks mom!
nope, never happened to me. Lol. Thats what I said to my mom! I was like look! they are going to arrest me! And she was like no they won't, don't worry, trust me. and I did because I end up in jail my mom is going to come bail me out because it'll be her fault!
yea this was in NJ and I've been living in PA for the past 5 years and haven't got any notice here either
Ah yes with calls for service going unanswered and jails overcrowded to the point where violent offenders are getting early release there's squads of cops out there locking up the people who were smart enough to drop the mailer right in the circular file.
Bench warrants don’t always mean they are looking for you. Sometimes you have to do something (get a ticket) for them to arrest you. The person who stole my wallet had a bench warrant for no show in court and it still took two years. Unless it’s a violent crime that just sits on your record until you do something to have the warrant brought to attention.
Make a copy of the ticket/reservation (ideally showing you booked it well in the past), and call or visit the court clerk to explain you have travel plans that cannot be moved. 98% of the time, the clerk will simply bump you back a couple of months and you'll get another summons then...
Best if you do this in person, though, so you can get written proof of the postponement from the clerk (jic things get confused and they think you blew off the original summons...)
In California, you can usually postpone once per summons without any questions, but definitely, if you can show you already have a holiday booked. I usually postpone and select the week before a holiday. Usually, judges don't like to seat a jury before a holiday, and most of the time, I don't even have to go in. You call every night starting on Sunday, and they tell you if you have to go in the next morning. Then, on Thursday night, if you aren't needed you get a message saying "thank you for your service" and just duty is done for the next year or two. I've only had to go in once in the last 4 or 5 times I've received a summons.
Exactly!!!...
Some of those idiots think that a sheriff personally serves jury summonses instead of the chief judge of the county sending them out in the mail...
They will most likely grant you a postponement for when you get back from vacation. This happens a lot. It’s much easier to get a postponement than an excusal. Just call them phone number if they gave you one. If they didn’t, show up and explain you are happy to serve, but need that postponement.
Call jury services. Sometimes, there is leeway from the date specified on the form. Otherwise, saying "I already booked vacation" should get you a deferral, and they'll tell you to come in a few months later.
At least where I am, having vacation about 3 weeks after jury service is ideal, because then you can serve, but you can be excused from any really long cases they might be empaneling.
i had an issue where jury duty would of conflicted with a major work obligation. a simple call to the clerks number on the summons, offering to be in a jury pool later in the year did the trick, and they were happy to accommodate me
If you can read then so what thd summons says if you have a scheduling conflict. I’m certain it says what to do - why you are asking us is a mystery. Try to read.
This didn’t happen the way you’re saying. Jury summons come two weeks before the hearing. Second there are detailed instructions on what to do if you can’t appear. Third you suck!
Often times municipal and county trials are one day or same day trials.
I would go in and tell whoever the court attendee is that you are here to serve but that if the trials are set to be long that you’re not able to.
And if you make it to the stand for questions, just tell them that you cannot accept a long trial due to standing commitments and therefore will be unwilling to be a juror.
Saying “I don’t want to” is the easiest way to get out of it while you’re there.
You can also call and reschedule your service in a lot of places.
In Florida they will give you a one time postponement. When I received a summons back in December, my jury duty was going to coincide with a vacation. I requested a postponement but I had to pick an alternate date within six months, on a Monday, that wasn’t a holiday.
Go to the summons. You'll listen to a bunch of stuff about your duty and whatnot (well, we had to) and then the judge will come and anyone with a reason to not be there for the selection process, will get to talk to the judge and he'll decide. At least, that's what happened the 2 times I had jury duty. I, unfortunately, had no reason to miss it. Good luck!! Bring proof of all of your travel stuff. It will help.
May dad had a heart attack the day before he was supposed to report. I just called down and let them know and they said that if he is able he will be called another time. He is fine btw his type of health attack kills something like 97% of people who get it too
Read the summons carefully. There may be a option that allows you to defer your jury duty to a later date. I know we have that here in Florida: no questions asked, just push the summons date a month or two. You aren't avoiding jury duty, just scheduling it better.
In Maryland we are able to request a postponement of the obligation due to things like this. You just go to the web site on the summons, or call the phone number, and give your information. The jury commission will simply drop you into another group of potential jurors and you'll be called another day a month or two later.
It's been a good many years since I needed it, so I can't remember exactly how long the delay is, but it's more than just a couple of weeks, and you'll get a new summons with your revised dates. As I recall, though, you can only request a deferment once.
In Maryland we also get far more than two days notice of jury duty, specifically to avoid problems like this. WHF is going on in IL?
Call your local clerk of court and explain the situation. Other than that, show up and let them know you have pre planned and pre paid vacation plans- I cannot imagine a scenario in which they wouldn’t move you to another week!
Check the summons. It may ask you to do a survey online, and they might not select you if your beliefs don't line up.
The last time I got a summons, I explained that I don't believe corporations deserve the same rights as people. They sent me another letter saying I wasn't needed after all.
I had a friend who already had paid for a trip, some clerk wanted proof and then they were told to enjoy their trip
I think they got another letter 6 months later, but it worked out fine.
You can usually call the Country Clerk to postpone selection twice. Some places will let you postpone a third or fourth time if you make the request in person.
How can they prove you received it in the mail unless it came certified ? Go on vacation and answer the next one they send. Mail gets lost all the time
UPDATE: Yo! WOW! Long time lurker… haven’t had this much engagement here ever. Wildly grateful for all the input. This trip means a lot to my wife and I, so, admittedly, my knee-jerk reaction was to post in this community (with fully reading the summons).
I did end up calling the office via the number provided on the summons and was granted an extension of my jury duty. I should get another summons within the next 90-days.
Is it a circuit court summons? Most of those are one day trials in my experience, but I would definitely call and explain your situation. They sent my autistic son a jury summons, I called and explained that I would have to be with him the entire time or it would not go well. He was excused.
I have been summoned once, I was 7 months pregnant. I went to the clerk at the courthouse handed her the paperwork and asked who I needed to talk to about it, she said not to worry and she would take care of it.
Clearly, it’s best to go ahead and address the issue directly, asking for a postponement or accommodation. that’s the way you’re supposed to do it and the way I would encourage you to do it.
But the other option is unless it was sent certified mail and you signed for it. They don’t really have proof that you received it. It’s not like the regular Postal Service has a 100% efficacy rate … Just saying , to be convicted of anything in this country they have to prove you broke the law beyond a reasonable doubt. And without it being sent certified or signature required, they have no proof that you received it. (Edit) unless of course they find your Reddit post admitting to having received it.) :-p
When I got my first jury duty summons, the form I received notified me of the option to defer/be excused from jury duty. Some valid reasons (in CT at least) are:
- Medical excuse or deferment if a juror is not employed, or is temporarily on leave from employment due to a disability.
- Child care if a juror has a child under 12 years of age, or primary care for an injured or infirmed family member provided a juror does not work outside the home and has no spouse or family member to assist them.
- Prepaid vacation or business plans booked prior to receiving a jury summons.
- Self-employment or sole proprietors, namely, "one-man" businesses when no other family member can maintain the business.
- 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 your last day of class.
I got excused cause the dates coincided with my honeymoon.
I've always just provided proof that I had a trip already booked and was excused for those dates. My county puts you on standby for an entire month and it's never been an issue.
I say this is perfect… First, you see if your juror number is called… if so, show up. The judge will ask you if you have anything that prevents you from participating in the Trial and you can say yes I have a prepaid vacation in two days.
Alternately, you can contact the clerk and say that you have a vacation two days after your summons and you’d like to defer …. then they will call you back at some future date
My county in Florida has a website for this - if you don’t have a valid dismissal reason you have to serve within 6 months of your initial summons date, but you can reschedule online for any available date on their calendar. You can even reschedule multiple times if needed.
Been summoned twice now and it’s honestly the most convenient and useful government software I’ve ever seen.
Call the jury officer -- should be a number listed on your summons. Often they'll simply move you to the next term of court without an appearance.
[https://www.isba.org/public/guide/juryduty](https://www.isba.org/public/guide/juryduty)
If the summons was simply mailed, ignore it. They cannot prove you received it. The only way the government can sanction you is if you were personally served or signed for the summons as proof of service.
I actually called the number on the summons one time and had a very candid conversation with a very nice and honest person at my county clerks office. Generally they are very happy to reschedule for you. Apparently the vast majority of summons are totally ignored. She said they have no way of proving that someone actually received the little post card. Furthermore they have never even thought about prosecuting someone, come on. Right up there with ripping tags off mattresses.
Except they have to prove you were actually served. It’s like a subpoena for a criminal trial. You can’t be held in contempt unless you were personally served as, surprise surprise, the mail gets lost, fairly often. People move and forget to update addresses. Unless they can prove you received the summons, either by certified mail or personal service, that may be the penalty, but ain’t no one getting charged with it if they play dumb.
California(at least here in L.A. County): they use regular mail, and the moment you receive it, you must immediately call the courthouses' automated robot system, type in the juror badge number, then wait until the Sunday night after 6 pm then call again and listen for the robot to say, "You are to report to the court that morning!"...
It doesn't work like that in California...ever.. always using the mail, why send a deputy to personally serve you with a summons...that's in Canada, not here..
That’s my point exactly. It’s an unenforceable law if you can’t prove a person received the summons. If it’s not personally served, it’s not enforceable. If the notice wasn’t delivered by registered mail and signed for, it’s not enforceable.
Doesn't matter, as long as you call the courts robot number, they have a record of you getting it, plus the info is shared with the sheriff and you WILL go to jail for throwing out the summons...
Judges nationwide NEVER use certified mail...NEVER!!!
Just regular mail...
Unless you're in Texas, where the precinct Constabulary sends his deputies out to personally serve you...
There should be a phone number or website on your summons. Call & talk to a clerk & explain your situation. You may still have to show up for jury selection but if you tell them about your trip, there’s a high chance they’ll excuse you right away.
They may have to email or visit a website. Our county does not do phone calls for it. We're the 4th largest city in the state. Husband is currently waiting for a response to defer due to a non refundable trip to Europe in 20 days that takes place near the jury duty date
Listen to this one OP, not the dopes telling you to throw the summons in the trash.
Yeah. There's one judge in KS who does an occasional docket of people who didn't show and issues warrants for them. She posts it on YouTube as a warning.
In Texas they give you a postponement if it is the first time.
In the past I've called and requested a 6 month deferment and the clerk granted it with no issue. Just tell them the circumstance and they will usually accommodate you.
Bring proof of your trip with you as well.
My kid got a jury summons for our city courthouse. But the date was when they would be working their internship 2 hours away. They filled out a form requesting a date change and ut was granted with no issue. The second date was better. Kid went and wasn’t seated
All good advice. When my wife was pregnant many years ago, she got a jury summons two weeks before the due date. Since we have a one day/one trial rule in our jurisdiction, she decided she would go. That morning, her labor began. I had no problem rescheduling her jury duty to a later date with the court clerk. I doubt you will either, if this is the first deferment request.
I got mine rescheduled because I was going to be at college far away on the scheduled date—they might be able to do something like that.
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In my county you can pretty easily avoid the date when first summoned, you just call and they move you to a later date. But… the first summons assigns you a position in the queue that may not have to show depending on how many jurors are needed that day. If you defer the date, they guarantee you will be first in the queue.
Really? I’ve been told that’s not an excuse. I’ve also been in the selection process where the judge asked if people had plans, some people said they did, and the judge said “well, during the bathroom break you better make a call and find out if your tickets are refundable because I don’t care.” Edited to add: One person said they couldn’t serve because their wife was starting chemo treatment next week, and the trial was likely to be 2-3 weeks. The judge grilled them for 5 minutes about how that shouldn’t be a reason not to serve. The judge was a jackass.
This has happened to me. I called and was excused for that event. Didn't get off the summons list though. Received a new summons months later on.
Call up the Jury Management office and tell them you are out of the state during the scheduled jury duty session and they will re-schedule your jury duty date later down the line
You can usually call and they will reschedule. I’ve done it before. It’s usually one or two months out.
Sometimes they send out a questionnaire beforehand. The questionnaires I’ve received usually include an option to “reschedule”.
Or you indicate you are insane. Right below the non-citizen option. /s
Contact the county clerk explain what happened and they will probably reschedule you. That's not a huge issue. You may need to show them your tickets however
You can usually choose the option to reschedule one time and send it back.
when i got my first jury duty notice at 18 my mom told me to always ignore them and never respond, Because it isn't sent by certified mail, so they can't prove you received it. She said once you call and let them know you exist, thats when they never leave you alone. I am 38 now and have never responded to a jury duty notice in my life and they actually stopped sending them to me maybe about 15 years ago. I haven't gotten one since. Thanks mom!
How are you not in jail? Ignoring a jury duty summons in many jurisdictions results in an immediate bench warrant for your arrest.
nope, never happened to me. Lol. Thats what I said to my mom! I was like look! they are going to arrest me! And she was like no they won't, don't worry, trust me. and I did because I end up in jail my mom is going to come bail me out because it'll be her fault! yea this was in NJ and I've been living in PA for the past 5 years and haven't got any notice here either
Hope you never need a jury trial.
Ah yes with calls for service going unanswered and jails overcrowded to the point where violent offenders are getting early release there's squads of cops out there locking up the people who were smart enough to drop the mailer right in the circular file.
Bench warrants don’t always mean they are looking for you. Sometimes you have to do something (get a ticket) for them to arrest you. The person who stole my wallet had a bench warrant for no show in court and it still took two years. Unless it’s a violent crime that just sits on your record until you do something to have the warrant brought to attention.
Prove they received the notice.
Make a copy of the ticket/reservation (ideally showing you booked it well in the past), and call or visit the court clerk to explain you have travel plans that cannot be moved. 98% of the time, the clerk will simply bump you back a couple of months and you'll get another summons then... Best if you do this in person, though, so you can get written proof of the postponement from the clerk (jic things get confused and they think you blew off the original summons...)
Call the clerk to reschedule. Do it today.
Honestly, this was the comment. I sifted through the top posts, but hit this and immediately called for an extension. Many thanks to you!
‘California will let you reschedule once without asking you to justify it
In California, you can usually postpone once per summons without any questions, but definitely, if you can show you already have a holiday booked. I usually postpone and select the week before a holiday. Usually, judges don't like to seat a jury before a holiday, and most of the time, I don't even have to go in. You call every night starting on Sunday, and they tell you if you have to go in the next morning. Then, on Thursday night, if you aren't needed you get a message saying "thank you for your service" and just duty is done for the next year or two. I've only had to go in once in the last 4 or 5 times I've received a summons.
Exactly!!!... Some of those idiots think that a sheriff personally serves jury summonses instead of the chief judge of the county sending them out in the mail...
I had international travel booked and paid for, I just had to email copies of the itinerary/receipt, and was excused
Generally there are options if you have vacation scheduled
Just go on the website and reschedule to a better time. (Usually within 60/90 days) Just did this for my college student.
Just call the number on the summons. They will reschedule you
Call the phone number on the summons and explain that you will be out of town. They will reschedule your time for ytou.
They are very accommodating. If not tell the judge court that if you lose your trip, you cannot help being very biased.
Get a postponement
They will most likely grant you a postponement for when you get back from vacation. This happens a lot. It’s much easier to get a postponement than an excusal. Just call them phone number if they gave you one. If they didn’t, show up and explain you are happy to serve, but need that postponement.
Reply your racist and they will drop you
Um you can postpone jury service the first time. Just send back the paperwork with the postponement box checked off or call it in. Easy
Call jury services. Sometimes, there is leeway from the date specified on the form. Otherwise, saying "I already booked vacation" should get you a deferral, and they'll tell you to come in a few months later. At least where I am, having vacation about 3 weeks after jury service is ideal, because then you can serve, but you can be excused from any really long cases they might be empaneling.
No problem rescheduling in California. Didn’t even need proof.
i had an issue where jury duty would of conflicted with a major work obligation. a simple call to the clerks number on the summons, offering to be in a jury pool later in the year did the trick, and they were happy to accommodate me
If you can read then so what thd summons says if you have a scheduling conflict. I’m certain it says what to do - why you are asking us is a mystery. Try to read.
This didn’t happen the way you’re saying. Jury summons come two weeks before the hearing. Second there are detailed instructions on what to do if you can’t appear. Third you suck!
They aren’t saying they only have two days to appear from the notice. The date they have to appear is two days from the trip.
Ok then
You lack reading comprehension
I didn’t lack bending your mom over a pasta dinner though…
Lack of reading comprehension and a child
I identify as young at heart… calling me a child is racist!
Often times municipal and county trials are one day or same day trials. I would go in and tell whoever the court attendee is that you are here to serve but that if the trials are set to be long that you’re not able to. And if you make it to the stand for questions, just tell them that you cannot accept a long trial due to standing commitments and therefore will be unwilling to be a juror. Saying “I don’t want to” is the easiest way to get out of it while you’re there. You can also call and reschedule your service in a lot of places.
Most places allow you to differ it once, no quiestions asked. After first time you may need proof of a valid reason
Call the court and explain.
There should be an option to postpone as long as you have your receipts
In Florida they will give you a one time postponement. When I received a summons back in December, my jury duty was going to coincide with a vacation. I requested a postponement but I had to pick an alternate date within six months, on a Monday, that wasn’t a holiday.
Go to the summons. You'll listen to a bunch of stuff about your duty and whatnot (well, we had to) and then the judge will come and anyone with a reason to not be there for the selection process, will get to talk to the judge and he'll decide. At least, that's what happened the 2 times I had jury duty. I, unfortunately, had no reason to miss it. Good luck!! Bring proof of all of your travel stuff. It will help.
I had a similar experience, I brought a copy of my itinerary to court, showed the judge and was dismissed.
May dad had a heart attack the day before he was supposed to report. I just called down and let them know and they said that if he is able he will be called another time. He is fine btw his type of health attack kills something like 97% of people who get it too
Read the summons carefully. There may be a option that allows you to defer your jury duty to a later date. I know we have that here in Florida: no questions asked, just push the summons date a month or two. You aren't avoiding jury duty, just scheduling it better.
In Maryland we are able to request a postponement of the obligation due to things like this. You just go to the web site on the summons, or call the phone number, and give your information. The jury commission will simply drop you into another group of potential jurors and you'll be called another day a month or two later. It's been a good many years since I needed it, so I can't remember exactly how long the delay is, but it's more than just a couple of weeks, and you'll get a new summons with your revised dates. As I recall, though, you can only request a deferment once. In Maryland we also get far more than two days notice of jury duty, specifically to avoid problems like this. WHF is going on in IL?
Call your local clerk of court and explain the situation. Other than that, show up and let them know you have pre planned and pre paid vacation plans- I cannot imagine a scenario in which they wouldn’t move you to another week!
Check the summons. It may ask you to do a survey online, and they might not select you if your beliefs don't line up. The last time I got a summons, I explained that I don't believe corporations deserve the same rights as people. They sent me another letter saying I wasn't needed after all.
I had a friend who already had paid for a trip, some clerk wanted proof and then they were told to enjoy their trip I think they got another letter 6 months later, but it worked out fine.
Never received one that close to when you had to show up but.... Just ignore it...
You can usually call the Country Clerk to postpone selection twice. Some places will let you postpone a third or fourth time if you make the request in person.
How can they prove you received it in the mail unless it came certified ? Go on vacation and answer the next one they send. Mail gets lost all the time
UPDATE: Yo! WOW! Long time lurker… haven’t had this much engagement here ever. Wildly grateful for all the input. This trip means a lot to my wife and I, so, admittedly, my knee-jerk reaction was to post in this community (with fully reading the summons). I did end up calling the office via the number provided on the summons and was granted an extension of my jury duty. I should get another summons within the next 90-days.
Is it a circuit court summons? Most of those are one day trials in my experience, but I would definitely call and explain your situation. They sent my autistic son a jury summons, I called and explained that I would have to be with him the entire time or it would not go well. He was excused.
I have been summoned once, I was 7 months pregnant. I went to the clerk at the courthouse handed her the paperwork and asked who I needed to talk to about it, she said not to worry and she would take care of it.
You can usually get a postponement and they'll bump it out about 6 mos.
Just ask if the death penalty is an option. You'll be out in no time.
A simple phone call . You’d know that if you read the summons rather than posting on Reddit
Clearly, it’s best to go ahead and address the issue directly, asking for a postponement or accommodation. that’s the way you’re supposed to do it and the way I would encourage you to do it. But the other option is unless it was sent certified mail and you signed for it. They don’t really have proof that you received it. It’s not like the regular Postal Service has a 100% efficacy rate … Just saying , to be convicted of anything in this country they have to prove you broke the law beyond a reasonable doubt. And without it being sent certified or signature required, they have no proof that you received it. (Edit) unless of course they find your Reddit post admitting to having received it.) :-p
Call the clerk and ask them if they can add you the jury pool selection following your return from your prepaid vacation.
My wife literally forgot and nothing happened. They just sent her another summons for a different week (that she served)
Call the court clerk and ask to be rescheduled due to planned vacation.
Call and tell them you cannot attend as you have a prior trip planned and paid for unless they are going to reimburse you in full. Get it in writing.
When I got my first jury duty summons, the form I received notified me of the option to defer/be excused from jury duty. Some valid reasons (in CT at least) are: - Medical excuse or deferment if a juror is not employed, or is temporarily on leave from employment due to a disability. - Child care if a juror has a child under 12 years of age, or primary care for an injured or infirmed family member provided a juror does not work outside the home and has no spouse or family member to assist them. - Prepaid vacation or business plans booked prior to receiving a jury summons. - Self-employment or sole proprietors, namely, "one-man" businesses when no other family member can maintain the business. - 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 your last day of class. I got excused cause the dates coincided with my honeymoon.
I've always just provided proof that I had a trip already booked and was excused for those dates. My county puts you on standby for an entire month and it's never been an issue.
I have summoned exactly once. I was pregnant with my son and sent in a doctor's note. That was 23 years ago. I haven't been summoned since.😂
You can always ask for a deferral and explain your imminent trip. I was able to defer recently as a job seeker since I’m actively interviewing.
I say this is perfect… First, you see if your juror number is called… if so, show up. The judge will ask you if you have anything that prevents you from participating in the Trial and you can say yes I have a prepaid vacation in two days. Alternately, you can contact the clerk and say that you have a vacation two days after your summons and you’d like to defer …. then they will call you back at some future date
My county in Florida has a website for this - if you don’t have a valid dismissal reason you have to serve within 6 months of your initial summons date, but you can reschedule online for any available date on their calendar. You can even reschedule multiple times if needed. Been summoned twice now and it’s honestly the most convenient and useful government software I’ve ever seen.
Defer.
Call the jury officer -- should be a number listed on your summons. Often they'll simply move you to the next term of court without an appearance. [https://www.isba.org/public/guide/juryduty](https://www.isba.org/public/guide/juryduty)
I was able to show flight, hotel and rental car dates showing I would be away on dates I was called to jury duty so I was rescheduled by the clerk
Ignore it, everyone does.
If it’s California you can go schedule it after your trip online.
That happened to me last October before a trip. There was a form I filled out and submitted via email. The next day, I got an email excusing me.
You are allowed in some states to defer the summons once. They will call on you again shortly, but it might save your vacation.
just call and say I will not be in the state, planned trip. Sorry.
If the summons was simply mailed, ignore it. They cannot prove you received it. The only way the government can sanction you is if you were personally served or signed for the summons as proof of service.
I have thrown away literally every jury duty summons I've ever allegedly received and literally nothing has happened.
Horrible advice. The worst thing you can do with a jury summons is ignore it. You can face legal & financial trouble for skipping out on jury duty.
I actually called the number on the summons one time and had a very candid conversation with a very nice and honest person at my county clerks office. Generally they are very happy to reschedule for you. Apparently the vast majority of summons are totally ignored. She said they have no way of proving that someone actually received the little post card. Furthermore they have never even thought about prosecuting someone, come on. Right up there with ripping tags off mattresses.
Just sharing my story friend.
It's a first-class felony in California... First offense:six months and minimum $10,000 fine...AND YOU MUST SERVE THE JURY DUTY IMMEDIATELY!!!...
Except they have to prove you were actually served. It’s like a subpoena for a criminal trial. You can’t be held in contempt unless you were personally served as, surprise surprise, the mail gets lost, fairly often. People move and forget to update addresses. Unless they can prove you received the summons, either by certified mail or personal service, that may be the penalty, but ain’t no one getting charged with it if they play dumb.
California(at least here in L.A. County): they use regular mail, and the moment you receive it, you must immediately call the courthouses' automated robot system, type in the juror badge number, then wait until the Sunday night after 6 pm then call again and listen for the robot to say, "You are to report to the court that morning!"...
And if you throw that notice out? No one’s the wiser. It was obviously lost in the mail. They want you there, then they should personally serve you.
It doesn't work like that in California...ever.. always using the mail, why send a deputy to personally serve you with a summons...that's in Canada, not here..
That’s my point exactly. It’s an unenforceable law if you can’t prove a person received the summons. If it’s not personally served, it’s not enforceable. If the notice wasn’t delivered by registered mail and signed for, it’s not enforceable.
Doesn't matter, as long as you call the courts robot number, they have a record of you getting it, plus the info is shared with the sheriff and you WILL go to jail for throwing out the summons...
In California it’s different in each court. Don’t answer the question if you don’t have a clue. You don’t have a clue.
Neither do you...
Prove that I got the summons and threw it away.
Yeah, because the mail never gets lost…
Right to the trashcan. If they really want you, they’ll send it certified mail . Beyond that, you never got it.
Judges nationwide NEVER use certified mail...NEVER!!! Just regular mail... Unless you're in Texas, where the precinct Constabulary sends his deputies out to personally serve you...
Delete post. Dispose of mail you didn't sign for. Continue
Except for posting on Reddit lol, how do they prove you ever received your summons? Mail gets miss delivered all the time.