Jury Duty Excuse Letter in District of Columbia
A short letter asking the court to excuse you from jury duty or postpone it. Follow the instructions on your summons first, because courts handle these requests differently, and keep following the summons until the court answers.
What District of Columbia law says
| Who can be excused from jury duty | To serve, a person must be at least 18. People are disqualified if they cannot serve because of physical or mental infirmity, or if they have a felony conviction or a pending felony or misdemeanor charge (a person with a felony conviction can qualify again no less than one year after finishing incarceration, probation or parole). D.C. law says no person or class of people may be excused or exempt except as the statute provides, and it sets no age-based exemption. Instead, a qualified juror may be deferred for undue hardship, extreme inconvenience, public necessity, or a temporary physical or mental disability, using the procedure in the court's jury plan. No one has to serve as a grand or petit juror more than once in any 24-month period, unless the court orders otherwise or the juror list runs short. |
|---|---|
| Penalty for skipping jury duty | A prospective juror who fails to show good cause, or who fails to appear without good cause after a court order, may be fined not more than $300, jailed for up to seven days, or both. Source: D.C. Code § 11-1907(b) |
| Jury duty pay and your job | An employer may not fire, threaten or coerce an employee because the employee receives a jury summons, responds to it, serves, or attends court for prospective jury service. A violation is criminal contempt: up to a $300 fine, 30 days in jail, or both for a first offense, and up to $5,000, 180 days, or both for later offenses. A fired employee may sue within 9 months for lost wages, reinstatement and damages, and a winning employee is awarded reasonable attorney's fees. The statute does not require employers to keep paying wages; jurors receive fees and expenses at rates set by the Superior Court's Board of Judges (not more than federal juror rates), and government employees who keep their regular pay get no jury fee. Source: D.C. Code §§ 11-1912, 11-1913 |
Fill it in
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[today's date]
[your name]
[your mailing address]
[your phone or email]
To: [court or jury office name and address, from your summons]
Re: Jury summons. Juror number: [juror number from your summons]. Reporting date: [date you are told to report].
Dear [jury commissioner, clerk or judge named on your summons]:
I received a jury summons for the date above. I am asking to be [excused from / postponed from] jury service because [your reason, in one or two plain sentences].
I have attached [documents supporting your request, such as a doctor's note, or none].
If my service can be postponed, I can serve on these dates: [dates you are available].
Please tell me in writing whether my request is approved. I understand that I must follow the summons until I hear from the court.
Sincerely,
[your name]
Jury Duty Excuse Letter for other states · District of Columbia tenant rights
Last verified against official sources: October 22, 2026.
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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.