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Jury · Excuses, Postponements and Transfers
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All requests for excuses must be in writing on the jury summons. Requests to be excused from service can be made by marking the appropriate box in Section B on your summons, and then checking the appropriate box (C-F) that applies to your excuse, and explaining your request in Section D.
Section A, Steps 1 and 2 must be completed in its entirety, answering all questions in Section A, even when requesting an excuse. Once Section A is completed, and you complete your request for excuse on the summons, you must call the 1-800-778-5879 number, register for jury service, and request an excuse when prompted to do so. You will be prompted by the automated system to register your appropriate excuse request. The automated system will guide you through the registration process and provide you with the ability to request an excuse. Please note that you will need to provide your request on the summons. Failure to provide a complete explanation on your summons may cause you to be automatically qualified for jury service.
To request a medical excuse your physician must complete Section E of your summons, if you are under the age of 70. If you are over 70, a physician’s statement is NOT required, but you must provide your age, date of birth and the reason for your medical excuse in the space provided in Section D. All requests for excuse must be signed in Section G.
Financial Hardship requests are strictly scrutinized. The fact that your employer does not pay for jury service is not sufficient grounds for excuse. You must be able to demonstrate how service as a juror will cause you EXTREME hardship. Section C must be completed, and Section G must be signed and dated. Failure to complete Section C in its entirety will cause you to be automatically qualified for jury service.
If you have served as a trial or grand juror within the past 12 months, you are not required to serve again at this time, unless you wish to do so. If you do not wish to serve, complete Section A, in its entirety, and Section B #13. If you served in Los Angeles County, please provide us with your JID Number in Section D (if available). If you served outside Los Angeles County you will need to provide us with your certificate of completion. Sign and date Section G.
If you are requesting an excuse based on your inability to speak and/or understand basic English, you must first complete Section A, in its entirety, register for service by calling the 1-800-778-5879 number, and sign and date Section G, before we will consider your request. You will be given further instructions to mail back your completed summons.
If you are not a United States citizen you are not qualified to serve. You must, however, complete the qualification process by completing Section A, Step 1, answering all nine questions and signing Section G, and calling 1(800) 778-5879 (SRV-JURY). Once you have registered by telephone, you will be instructed to mail the completed summons to us for processing.
Residents Living Outside Los Angeles County If you currently reside outside Los Angeles County Complete Sections A, in its entirety, D, F, and sign and date Section G. Please provide us with your new address in Section D and provide us with a copy of one of the following with your new address: personal utility bill, proof of voter’s registration, driver’s license or property tax bill. Call 1(800) 778-5879 and follow the prompts for registration and then return the summons and proof of new address to us for processing.
If you are an U.S. Citizen temporarily or permanently domiciled outside of the United States, please complete Section A, in its entirety, provide details and your address in Section D, and sign and date Section G. Mail your completed summons back to the court.
Active Military Duty Personnel
If you are on active military leave, please complete Section A, in its entirety, provide details in Section D, and sign and date Section G. Mail your completed summons back to the court.
If you have received a jury summons for a family member who is deceased, and the death occurred in Los Angeles County, complete Section F, sign and date Section G, and mail the summons back to the court. If the person’s death occurred outside Los Angeles County you must attach a copy of the death certificate.
Active duty Peace Officers who are appointed under Penal Code 830.1, 830.2(a), are exempt from serving jury duty. Please complete Section A, in its entirety, and sign and date Section G. NOTE: Please make sure that you check with your commander to make sure that you were appointed under this Penal Code as you will be signing under penalty of perjury. Reserve Peace Officers appointed under Penal Code 830.33(a) are not exempt from serving, but are limited to serving on civil matters only.
You can postpone the start of your jury service to a more convenient time. This can be accomplished by either calling the 1(800) 778-5879 (SRV-JURY) number on the summons, or by selecting “On-line Services” on the jury website. There are restrictions on how far in the future and how many times you may postpone. In emergency situations you may exceed these restrictions by calling the assembly room number located on the front of your form. You will not be able to postpone your service by calling 1 (800) 778-5879 if you call the weekend prior to the week you are to start your service.
Postponements for Breastfeeding Mothers If you have been summoned for jury duty and are currently breastfeeding, you may postpone your jury service for up to 12 months by calling the 1-800-778-5879 (SRV-JURY) and talking with a jury service representative. Any additional postponements for breastfeeding must be renewed through the Juror Services Division by completing Sections A, B and D of your summons, and signing and dating Section G.
To transfer your jury service to another court location within Los Angeles county, you must provide a legally sufficient reason on your summons (Section D) briefly explaining why you are prevented from appearing at the courthouse to which you have been randomly summoned by the court's computer system. Only a true hardship is grounds for a transfer, inconvenience is not. Possible grounds for transfer include:
**Please note:** Before you request a transfer to another location, you must first call the 1-800-778-5879 number and register for jury service. The automated system will guide you through the registration process and provide you with the ability to request a transfer.
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