Excuse for Jury Service

Excuse from jury service undermines the important purpose of providing jurors who represent a fair cross section of the citizens of the State and casts a direct and unfair burden on other citizens selected for service.

For those reasons, Section 8-210 of the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland provides that:

Any person summoned for jury service may be excused by the jury judge if the person shows that undue hardship, extreme inconvenience, or public necessity require his excuse, but only for the period the jury judge deems necessary.

It is further provided that "No person or class of person may be disqualified, excused, or exempted from service as a juror except . . .[members of organized militia, persons 70 years old or older and persons who have served on a jury in the recent past]."

First of all, please note that the Clerk is not able to grant an excuse. If you wish to be excused, you should send the request to the Jury Judge, in writing, giving your reasons. Remember, however, that even the Judge is unable to excuse anyone except for one of the reasons contained in the law. In that regard, please bear in mind that the privilege of serving on a jury involves inconvenience and sometimes hardship to all who serve - and sometimes to their families and employers. The law permits an excuse only when the hardship is undue or the inconvenience is extreme or some public necessity is involved. Furthermore, the authority to excuse extends "only for the period the Jury Judge deems necessary."

In a effort to be as accommodating as possible, we attempt to relax the stringency of these rules somewhat in cases where a prospective juror notifies us in advance (that is, before receiving summons to appear for a particular trial) that he or she will be on vacation or engaging in another particularly significant activity during a specific, brief period. If you do notify us in advance (again, meaning before you receive notice to appear), your request will probably be granted and your name removed from the list for the time you specify; and your name will be placed on the list of another panel after the time for which you are excused. If you notify us after a notice has been sent, we can consider it only under the very strict rules stated above; and it will probably be denied.

One final note. Excuses are not granted on the basis of minor children in the home, because we are aware of very few, if any, situations in which parents do not make arrangements for the care of their children due to employment or other everyday reasons; and it is expected that you will do so when summoned for jury service. Children are not to be brought to Court with you. In instances where prospective jurors appear with children, arrangements will be made for their care by the Department of Social Services or other foster care services, at the juror's personal expense.