If you’ve ever opened your mailbox to find that dreaded letter summoning you to jury duty, a proposed New York law could eventually make requesting an exemption from jury service a little simpler.
Currently, New York has no maximum age limit for jury service–so an 80-, 85-, or even 90-year-old can still be summoned. But a proposed piece of legislation, New York Senate bill S9037 its Assembly counterpart A6025, is making its way through Albany. The bill proposes an amendment to Judiciary Law that would allow New York senior citizens to permanently exempt themselves from jury duty.
Here’s what you need to know.
What is New York’s proposed jury duty law?
If passed, the proposed bill would give New Yorkers aged 75 and older a much simpler way to be permanently excused from jury duty.
Unlike California’s newly passed law, which allows people 80 and older to receive a permanent excuse without a doctor’s note, New York’s proposed law targets a slightly younger demographic, letting residents 75 and older request a permanent exemption based on age alone.
The main details
If the bill becomes law, the process would be straightforward:
Receive your jury summons in the mail
File a simple, prescribed exemption form with the appropriate commissioner of jurors
Once the court receives your form, your exemption is permanent. You would no longer be required to apply again for future summonses
No medical condition, doctor’s note, or health records would be required. The proposed exemption would remain valid unless the person later requests to be reinstated as a prospective juror.
Keep in mind, this excuse would be completely voluntary. Seniors 75 and older who are able and willing to serve on a jury would still be welcome to do so.
Shutterstock / Sergii Figurnyi
What about New Yorkers under the age of 75?
If you’re under 75, you can still request an excuse from jury duty if a physical or mental condition makes you unable to serve.
However, unlike the proposed age-based exemption for New Yorkers 75 and older, the current system requires you to provide supporting documentation—such as a doctor’s note—to prove that a health impairment prevents you from serving.
Is this law in effect yet?
Not yet.
The bill is still active in the New York Legislature and currently sitting in committee. It has not yet passed both chambers or been signed into law. If lawmakers eventually get this bill across the finish line, the new rules would take effect 180 days after becoming law.
For now, New Yorkers of all ages who are summoned must still follow the current exemption protocols listed on their mailers.
Other proposed laws currently making their way through Albany include a massive, statewide “Lights Out” rule after 11 pm as well as a 4-day workweek for NYC.