Rule 4 Excuse
Rule Text
(a) Upon written request, an excuse on the ground of serious personal hardship under 46.1507 ASCA may be granted for any of the following reasons:
(1) Excessive travel distance or lack of available transportation to the court;
(2) Extreme financial burden, or undue risk of material injury to or destruction of the juror’s property or make alternative arrangements to alleviate the financial burden or risks;
(3) The prospective juror’s services are immediately needed for the protection of the public health and safety, and it is not feasible to make alternative arrangements to relieve the person of these responsibilities during the period of service as a juror; and
(4) The prospective juror has a personal obligation to provide actual and necessary care to another, and it is not feasible to make alternative arrangements for that care. The court may in any individual case require that the person furnish a letter from a physician stating that the person being cared for is in need of regular and personal care.
(b) A person should be excused from jury service for serious personal hardship only if it is not possible to defer the person’s jury service to a time within one year when no serious personal hardship would result.
(c) Inconvenience is not an adequate reason for excuses from jury duty, although it may in the court’s discretion be considered a ground for a temporary deferment of the obligation to serve.