Jury Duty in Mississippi

Who can be excused from jury duty in Mississippi, what happens if you skip it, juror pay, and whether your employer must let you serve.

Short answer: A person over 65 may claim an exemption from jury service by giving the circuit clerk information to verify the claim outside open court, and may file a notarized request for a permanent age-based excuse; Miss. Code Ann. §§13-5-23, 13-5-25 (secondary source: public copy of the state code; check the official code)

Who can be excused from jury duty	A person over 65 may claim an exemption from jury service by giving the circuit clerk information to verify the claim outside open court, and may file a notarized request for a permanent age-based excuse; someone who already served in a litigated trial in one court cannot use it to avoid service in another. The court may also excuse a juror who is ill and unable to serve (a doctor's certificate to the clerk can be used), for undue or extreme physical or financial hardship (such as no substitute caregiver for someone in your care, costs that would seriously affect daily living expenses, or physical hardship leading to illness), or a breast-feeding mother. Missing work alone is not a hardship, a judge decides hardship requests, and the ruling must be obtained by the date you are due to appear. Read on FindLaw (a public copy of the official code, shown as current as of January 1, 2025); check against the official code. Source: Miss. Code Ann. §§13-5-23, 13-5-25 (secondary source: public copy of the state code; check the official code)
Penalty for skipping jury duty	A juror who fails to appear or complete jury service as directed without a postponement can be ordered to show cause. Without good cause, the juror may be held in civil contempt and fined up to $500, jailed up to 3 days, or both, and the court may also or instead order community service at least as long as the missed jury service. Sanctions can be excused for good cause or in the interest of justice. Read on FindLaw (a public copy of the official code, shown as current as of January 1, 2025); check against the official code. Source: Miss. Code Ann. §13-5-34 (secondary source: public copy of the state code; check the official code)
Jury duty pay and your job	It is unlawful for an employer to pressure, intimidate or threaten a juror to avoid service, or to fire or take adverse action against an employee for jury service, if the employee told the employer about the summons within a reasonable time. Employers may not require or ask employees to use annual, vacation or sick leave for jury service, but need not give leave the employee is not otherwise entitled to. A violation is treated as interference with the administration of justice and contempt of court. Employers with five or fewer full-time employees get an automatic postponement if another employee is already summoned for the same period. The statute does not address paying wages during service. Read on FindLaw (a public copy of the official code, shown as current as of January 1, 2025); check against the official code. Source: Miss. Code Ann. §13-5-35 (secondary source: public copy of the state code; check the official code)

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FAQ

Who is exempt from jury duty in Mississippi?

A person over 65 may claim an exemption from jury service by giving the circuit clerk information to verify the claim outside open court, and may file a notarized request for a permanent age-based excuse; someone who already served in a litigated trial in one court cannot use it to avoid service in another. The court may also excuse a juror who is ill and unable to serve (a doctor's certificate to the clerk can be used), for undue or extreme physical or financial hardship (such as no substitute caregiver for someone in your care, costs that would seriously affect daily living expenses, or physical hardship leading to illness), or a breast-feeding mother. Missing work alone is not a hardship, a judge decides hardship requests, and the ruling must be obtained by the date you are due to appear.

What happens if you miss jury duty in Mississippi?

A juror who fails to appear or complete jury service as directed without a postponement can be ordered to show cause. Without good cause, the juror may be held in civil contempt and fined up to $500, jailed up to 3 days, or both, and the court may also or instead order community service at least as long as the missed jury service. Sanctions can be excused for good cause or in the interest of justice.

Does your employer have to let you serve on a jury in Mississippi?

It is unlawful for an employer to pressure, intimidate or threaten a juror to avoid service, or to fire or take adverse action against an employee for jury service, if the employee told the employer about the summons within a reasonable time. Employers may not require or ask employees to use annual, vacation or sick leave for jury service, but need not give leave the employee is not otherwise entitled to. A violation is treated as interference with the administration of justice and contempt of court. Employers with five or fewer full-time employees get an automatic postponement if another employee is already summoned for the same period. The statute does not address paying wages during service.

Last verified against official sources: October 27, 2026.

How we source this page: each state-specific rule links to the statute, court rule or official government page it comes from. A rule taken from a public copy of a state code (used only where the official code is not freely readable online) is marked as a secondary source. Spot an error? Use the contact page to report it. About our sources

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.