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DEFERRED OR
EXCUSED FROM JURY SERVICE
(Please
read the instructions before clicking the email link below)
The North Carolina General Assembly
declares the public policy of this state to be that jury service is the
solemn obligation of all qualified citizens, and that excuses from the
discharge of this responsibility should be granted only for reasons of
compelling personal hardship or because requiring service would be
contrary to the public welfare, health, or safety.
Request to be deferred or
excused from jury duty can only be made IN WRITING to the jury coordinator by
mail or email (see below) no
later than one week prior to your report date or by personal
appearance at a court hearing held each Wednesday at 2:00 PM in Room
102 of the Cumberland County Courthouse.
Jurors cannot be deferred or excused
by telephone. (These
instructions are printed on your jury summons.)
Last requests to be excused or deferred from jury service should
be made to the judge after reporting for jury service. You must report
for jury duty as instructed and inform the jury coordinator when you
report.
Please note that there are no exemptions from jury service based
on occupation.
Although work commitments can be hard to break, they are not a valid
reason for being excused from jury service. Prospective jurors can
request to be deferred to a later date when they may be less busy.
Some jurors may request to be deferred because they need more time to make arrangements for child
or elder care, rearrange work schedules, or have vacation or personal
plans, while others may be undergoing or assisting family members with
medical problems or procedures. If your reason is job or school related
consider requesting to be deferred
to a slower business season, after military deployment or training, or
when school is not in session or during a break, or after a work or personal
problem has passed. Additionally, please note that full-time students are not exempt
from service.
If a potential juror is a full-time student and their service date
conflicts with their class schedule, they may submit a request to be deferred. Requests for deferral should come from
the individual summoned, not the employer.
In Cumberland County, a prospective
juror may request to be excused from jury service for one or more of the
following valid reasons:
 Is NOT a citizen of
the United States;
Is NOT a resident
of / or residing in the State of North Carolina;
Is NOT a resident
of / or residing in Cumberland County;
Is NOT at least 18
years of age;
Is
72 years of age or older and requesting to be excused;
Has
a medical, mental or physical disability that prevents you from serving
and a doctor’s signed verification on letterhead or prescription pad
detailing why you cannot serve and the length of illness or problem, or
that the conditions is permanent (Supporting
documentation must also be submitted);
Has
served on jury duty in State for Federal court within the past two years;
Is
currently on probation or parole for a felony conviction (Citizenship rights are automatically
restored after termination of probation or parole);
To request to
be excused for any other reason, other than one listed above You
must appear in person in Room 102 of the Cumberland County Courthouse
any Wednesday at 2:00 P.M. before your jury service date for a hearing by
the District Court Judge to determine if you can be excused. Because of the short length of
service, excusals based on reasons other than those found below are
rarely granted and
documentation/proof is required.
If your request to be excused is denied, you must report
for jury service as directed on your summons.
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