How old is too old to serve on a Missouri jury? See who state law says should be excused
Thousands of Missouri residents are called to serve on juries each year to listen to testimony, review evidence, and make decisions in civil and criminal trials.
How long you serve on a jury will depend on the case, and there’s a chance you may not even get to serve if you meet the qualifications. In Missouri, you have to be 21 and over and a resident of the county or city sending the summons.
Here’s why some Missouri jurors may be excused from serving.
How do people get excused from jury duty?
Jurors can be summoned every three years in Missouri. If you receive a summons and you have already served in the past three years, you can request to be excused from serving by stating that you have served in the questionnaire online. You can also submit a written request to be excused and it will be reviewed by the courts, according to Missouri state law.
State law allows jurors 75 years or older to request to be excused from jury duty, but it’s not required. People ages 75 and older can make the request to the jury office by email, letter, fax or by logging onto www.courts.mo.gov/jurorportal, the court’s online juror system.
Some other reasons you could be excused from serving include:
- If you are a nursing mother, and you have a written statement from your physician that you are currently nursing.
- If you are a health care professional, and your written statement says that you are providing health care to patients, and that jury duty would be detrimental to the patients.
- If you are an employee of a religious group or institute whose religious obligations would prohibit you from serving on a jury.
- If being absent from your regular job would adversely affect public safety, health, welfare or interest.
This story was originally published June 10, 2024 at 1:47 PM.
