JuryDuty101
Maryland - List of Jury Duty Excuses
Maryland - List of Jury Duty Excuses
Maryland - Getting Excused From Jury Duty
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| Jury Duty Excuses Chart For Maryland
| 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 Maryland, 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.
Maryland has a list of specific excuses that can be used to be exempt from reporting for jury duty, including excuses for 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 MD.
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.
| Maryland Jury Duty Age Limit Excuse
Maryland has a statutory exemption that allows individuals over a certain age to request exemption from jury duty. Persons over 70 years old may ask the jury commissioner, in writing, for an exemption
| Maryland Military Jury Duty Excuse
In the state of Maryland, members of the military are exempt only while on active duty.
| Maryland Elected Offical Jury Duty Excuse
In Maryland, members of the federal legislative branch are the only elected officials exempt from jury duty.
| Maryland Disablity Jury Duty Excuse
Prospective jurors in Maryland may be exempt if they have a disability that, as documented by a health care provider’s certification, prevents the individual from providing satisfactory jury service.
| Other Jury Duty Excuses in Maryland
A prospective juror will show, on a juror questionnaire, during an interview, or by other competent evidence, that extreme inconvenience, public necessity, or undue hardship requires excusal or postponement of jury duty.
Excusal may not be granted more than twice unless the jury judge finds necessary.
Can I Get Excused From Jury Duty Because I Work?
In Maryland, 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 Maryland 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.