Jury Duty Excuse Letter in New Mexico
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 New Mexico law says
| Who can be excused from jury duty | A person who served on a state or federal petit or grand jury within the preceding thirty-six months is exempt on request, and a person seventy-five years of age or older who asks the local court is permanently exempt (§ 38-5-2(A)-(B)). A judge may excuse a person when service would cause undue or extreme physical or financial hardship to the person or someone in their care, in an emergency, or on other satisfactory evidence; being absent from work alone is not a hardship (§ 38-5-2(C), (G)). Use the form sent with the summons to claim an exemption (§ 38-5-10), and get a ruling no later than the date you are scheduled to appear (§ 38-5-2(D)). Read in the NMSA 1978 unannotated compilation, Chapter 38 (Trials), on NMOneSource. Source: NMSA 1978, §§ 38-5-2, 38-5-10 |
|---|---|
| Penalty for skipping jury duty | A willful failure to appear as ordered in a jury summons is a petty misdemeanor in New Mexico (§ 38-5-10). A petty misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in county jail, a fine of up to $500, or both (§ 31-19-1). Source: NMSA 1978, §§ 38-5-10, 31-19-1 |
| Jury duty pay and your job | An employer may not fire, threaten, or coerce an employee because the employee receives or answers a jury summons, serves as a juror, or attends court for jury selection, and may not require or ask the employee to use annual, vacation, or sick leave for that time (§ 38-5-18). An employer who violates this is guilty of a petty misdemeanor (§ 38-5-19). The statute does not require employers to pay wages. Jurors are paid for their time at the highest prevailing state minimum wage rate, plus mileage for travel over forty miles round trip (§ 38-5-15). |
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 · New Mexico 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.