Jury duty excuse?

[LadyR]

I received a notice that I am being considered for Petit Jury Service.  In the past I have requested to be excused because of homeschooling but that isn't an issue this time.  The truth is I have very limited transportation.  We have one car and my (retired) husband now works part time, all different hours and different days.  I doubt he would be able to request a schedule that would allow me to have the car during the days and hours I might be required to be on a jury.  We are not anywhere near public transportation.  Is this a lame excuse to ask to be excused?   Or should I just wait to see if I'm actually called for service?

Edited April 6, 2019 by LadyR

[Jean in Newcastle]

This really depends on where you live.  In my county I can google " ________ County Jury Duty Excuse" (or "Exemption")  and it comes up with a FAQ answering all those questions. 

[G5052]

It depends.

Where I live, you have to return the form. Then if you are actually called up, you have a certain period to ask for an exemption by letter. They grant exemptions only on a case-by-case basis, and I've heard they are picky about it. In a case where transportation is an issue, they are going to demand that you exhaust all possibilities with friends and family before they excuse you.

I got off for nursing a baby and then homeschooling, but they haven't called me up in over a decade. There are not a lot of trials in my county though.

[Tree Frog]

It depends on where you live. In NY, I was able to defer it for a year. In FL, even though I'd just moved there 3 months earlier and didn't know anyone to watch my kids, they wouldn't defer.

[katilac]

2 minutes ago, HeighHo said:

If its close by, you should go. Have your ride drop you off and pick you up, hang out in a library or coffee shop if you need to wait.  The plus is once you serve, you are off the list for a while. 

 

Yes, I would try to get it over with. They aren't going to excuse you for all time for that reason,  and going gets you off of the list for longer than a delay does.

Most people who get summoned don't get picked. Of those who get picked, the vast majority serve on very short trials. I've gone several times and only advanced to the questioning phase one time (and was recused at that time); it's usually just one long and boring day. 

This is based on your summons being for one day where you report and see if you get picked or not. I know some places have longer periods of time when you are 'on call' and you have to show up on certain days. Either way, though, my guess is that they don't readily excuse people who lack transportation. They may expect you to figure it out, or they may have specific rules in place about providing or paying for transportation.