JuryDuty101
Iowa - List of Jury Duty Excuses
Iowa - List of Jury Duty Excuses
Iowa - Getting Excused From Jury Duty
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| Jury Duty Excuses Chart For Iowa
| Situation | Jury Duty |
|---|---|
| Military |  |
| Elected Official | |
| Student | |
| Breastfeeding Mother | |
| Police | |
| Medical Worker | |
| Firefighter | |
| Disablity |  |
While jury duty is a civic requirement for all eligible citizens in Iowa, there are a number of excuses that can be used to legally get out of being required to report for jury selection or jury duty, or receive a deferral.
Iowa has a list of specific excuses that can be used to be exempt from reporting for jury duty, including excuses for military, elected official, student, breastfeeding, age, police, medical worker and firefighter. You can also be excused if you don't meet the basic eligibility requirements for jury duty in IA.
Generally, if you qualify for one of the statutory excuses, you can respond to your jury duty summons letter with an excuse note containing proof of your excuse, and you will not have to report for jury selection.
| Iowa Jury Duty Age Limit Excuse
While many states allow individuals over a certain age to request exemption from jury duty on account of their age, Iowa has no such statutory exemption. Elderly individuals may still be able to request exemption from jury duty on account of health, mobility, or other factors.
| Iowa Military Jury Duty Excuse
In the state of Iowa, military exemption from jury duty varies by county. Members of the armed service in Polk County are exempt from jury duty.
| Iowa Breast Feeding Mother Jury Duty Excuse
If responsible for the daily care of the child, must make written request.
| Iowa Disablity Jury Duty Excuse
Mental or physical disability can be exempt with a written excuse from a physician or health care provider stating person is unable to serve.
| Other Jury Duty Excuses in Iowa
Excused only if the prospective juror is a carer of a person with a permanent disability; living in the person’s household; and jury service would endanger the health of the person with a disability.
Courts can excuse for reasons of hardship, inconvenience, or public necessity.
Prospective jurors must make written request with the clerk of court as soon as possible after receiving the summons.
Can I Get Excused From Jury Duty Because I Work?
In Iowa, your employer is not allowed to penalize you for missing work for jury duty. Therefore, simply having a job isn't in itself enough to be excused from jury duty. However, some courts may excuse you if serving on a jury and missing work would cause undue hardship to either yourself or your employer.
Submitting A Jury Duty Excuse Letter
If you do not qualify for any of the Iowa statutory exemptions listed above but seriously think that attending jury selection would cause you undue hardship, you can always submit a jury duty excuse letter with your response to the summons, and ask to be excused. It will be at the discretion of the court that summoned you whether to accept or deny your excuse.
Remember - A Jury Selection Summons Doesn't Mean You'll Be On A Jury
Keep in mind that your initial jury duty summons is only for attending jury selection day, where it will be decided if you are to actually serve on a jury during the "Voir Dire" process. If you can't get out of attending jury selection, there are many ways to raise the odds that you will be excused after jury selection without being selected to serve on a jury.