Jury Duty Excuse Letter in Maine
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 Maine law says
| Who can be excused from jury duty | The Governor, active-duty military members and persons exempt under 37-B M.R.S. §185 are exempt from jury service. A person 80 or older who does not wish to serve is excused. Others may be excused by the presiding justice or clerk, on request, only for undue hardship, extreme inconvenience, public necessity or a physical or mental disability (a doctor's certificate may be required); election officials have specific election-day excuses. Over a lifetime a person may not be required to serve as a trial juror more than 3 times, and not more than once in any 5-year period. Source: 14 M.R.S. §§1211, 1213, 1216 |
|---|---|
| Penalty for skipping jury duty | A person summoned who fails to appear or complete jury service must be ordered to appear and show cause. A prospective juror who cannot show good cause is guilty of contempt and may be fined up to $100, jailed up to 3 days, or both. Source: 14 M.R.S. §1217 |
| Jury duty pay and your job | An employer may not fire an employee, cut off the employee's health insurance, or threaten or coerce the employee because the employee is summoned for, responds to, attends or serves on jury duty; a violation is a Class E crime. A fired employee may sue within 90 days for lost wages (up to 6 weeks) or lost health benefits and reinstatement, plus reasonable attorney's fees. The statute does not require the employer to pay wages during service. Jurors are paid $15 per day of required attendance plus mileage at the state rate. Source: 14 M.R.S. §§1218, 1215 |
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 · Maine tenant rights
Last verified against official sources: October 23, 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.