Federal Jury Service
Jury Excuses
Obligation to Serve

It is the policy of this Court that all litigants in the Court, entitled to trial by jury, shall have the right to petit jurors selected at random from a fair cross section of the community in the division where the Court convenes. All qualified citizens who reside in the District of Idaho and are not exempt or disqualified, shall have an obligation to serve as jurors when summoned for that purpose.


Reasons to be Excused

If you wish to be excused, you are still required to complete the questionnaires.

Acceptable Excuses

There are certain categories of persons who may be excused from service as a juror.  If you are a person in one of the categories listed below and wish to be excused, please complete the questionnaires and check the appropriate box under Grounds for Requesting an Excuse. Or, if you wish to serve, click that you are not requesting an excuse.

You may still be qualified to serve if the court determines upon review that you appear to be eligible for service.

  • Persons over 70 years of age.
  • Persons who have served as a grand or petit juror in the State or Federal Court within the past two (2) years. (Jury staff will call for verification).
  • Volunteer safety personnel.
    (Personnel who serve without compensation as firefighters or members of a rescue squad or ambulance crew for a "public agency".) (Verification must be provided to the court).

Jury Fax Numbers

Southern Division Boise (208) 803-3674
Northern Division Coeur d'Alene (208) 803-3674
Eastern Division Pocatello (208) 478-4106

Occupation-Based

Occupation-based excuses, which existed in years past, have all but been eliminated Circuit wide and as provided by the District of Idaho’s Jury Plan.

All eligible citizens are expected to report for jury duty, including accountants, college professors, college students, dentists, doctors, farmers, lawyers, nurses, the self-employed, school teachers, stay at home mothers/fathers,  long-haul and local truck drivers.


Reasons to be Disqualified

Disqualification from Jury Service

In accordance with the provisions of 28 U.S. C. 1865(b), any citizen of the United States who has reached the age of 18 years shall be deemed qualified to serve on grand or petit juries unless he or she:

  • Is not a citizen of the United States, is not eighteen years of age, and has not resided for a period of one year within the judicial district;
  • Is unable to read, write, and understand the English language with a degree of proficiency sufficient to satisfactorily fill out the juror questionnaire form;
  • Is unable to speak the English language;
  • Is incapable, by reason of mental or physical infirmity, or rending satisfactory jury service;
  • Has a charge pending against him or her for the commission of, or has been convicted in a State or Federal Court of record of a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year and his or her civil rights have not been restored.

In addition the following reasons may disqualify you from service.


Disabilities - Physical or Mental

Qualified individuals with disabilities have the same opportunity and obligation to serve as jurors as individuals without disabilities.  If you have a disability that would affect, but not prevent you from serving as a juror, please provide remarks when completing the questionnaires.

If you wish to serve, but require some sort of accommodation by the court, please indicate the accommodation required on the questionnaire.

In order to be excused for a physical or mental disability you must complete the questionnaires and provide the jury office with a medical excuse from your physician. When providing or having your physician fax an excuse, please make sure that your name and nine (9) digit juror participant number are noted.

If requesting to be excused for medical reasons, you are required to provide the court with a medical excuse from your medical care provider. If your medical excuse has not been provided to the court, you cannot be excused on this basis. If you have not obtained a medical excuse from your health care provider by the time you receive your reporting date for jury selection you may still submit a medical excuse, but you will not be excused until you report for jury selection or your excuse is approved by the Court. You will be notified if you are excused for medical reasons via email if you provided an email address when completing the questionnaires or via U.S. Mail if you did not. Until the Court has notified you that you are excused you are required to report as directed.

The court may also offer you a one-time postponement of your jury service. The court's postponement policy applies.


Medical Excuse Form for Physician
If requesting to be excused for medical reasons, you are required to provide the court with a medical excuse from your medical care provider. If your medical excuse has not been provided to the court, you cannot be excused on this basis. If you have

Civil Rights - Have not been Restored

Please note on the questionnaires that your civil rights have not been restored.  A person is disqualified from jury service if their civil rights have not been restored.


Civil Rights - I don't know if Restored

Please note on the questionnaires that you do not know if your civil rights were restored.

A person is disqualified from jury service if they cannot make an affirmative statement that his or her rights have been restored following a final discharge of his or her conviction. 


No longer live in Idaho

If you have moved out of the State of Idaho and are no longer a resident, you are still required to fill out the questionnaire.  When filling out the questionnaire, please be sure to enter your new address.

Persons who have moved out of the District of Idaho are disqualified to serve on its juries.


Reasons for Exemption

The Jury Act, at 28 U.S.C. § 1863(b)(6), lists those who are exempt from jury service. The following persons are legally barred from serving, even if they express a desire to serve.

Members in active service in the Armed Forces

Members employed full-time in active service in the Armed Forces of the United States. This is defined in 10 U.S.C. § 101(4) as including only the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.

Note: A member of a National Guard unit is only exempt when called to active federal, as opposed to state, service. The individual must be a full-time, active-status member of a National Guard unit that is federally recognized, that constitutes a reserve component of a branch of the armed forces, as defined above, and that has been called into active federal service.


Members of fire or police departments

Members of fire or police departments, employed on a full-time basis, of any State, the District of Columbia, any territory or possession of the United States, or any subdivision of a State, the District of Columbia, or such territory or possession.  Under this definition, members of federal law enforcement entities like the F.B.I., U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Marshals Service are NOT exempt from jury duty.

Note: A plain language interpretation of "police officer," for example, embraces the concept of someone charged with day-to-day maintenance of order throughout the community - a definition which generally would not include probation officers, court security officers, and so forth.


Public Officers

Public officers employed on a full-time basis who are either elected to public office or directly appointed by a person elected to public office in the executive, legislative, or judicial branches of the Government of the United States, or of any State, the District of Columbia, any territory or possession of the United States, or any subdivision of a State, the District of Columbia, or such territory or possession, who are actively engaged in the performance of official duties. 28 U.S.C. § 1869(i)

Note: The legislative history of the Jury Act indicates that the term “public officer” was intended to include only those persons whose government service is such that an interruption for jury duty would not be in furtherance of the public interest - usually persons with law- and/or policy-making functions.


Civil Rights

Restoration of Civil Rights

Restoration to convicted felons of their civil rights (including the right to serve on a jury) is governed by state law.  Idaho Code 18-310(2) states in relevant part:  “Upon final discharge, a person convicted of an Idaho felony shall be restored the full rights of citizenship.  As used in this subsection, ‘final discharge’ means satisfactory completion of imprisonment, probation and parole as the case may be.”  Thus, in Idaho, as soon as a felon has completed his or her sentence in its entirety (including any term of probation or parole), his or her rights to serve on a jury is automatically restored.


Civil Rights - Restored

Please note on the questionnaires that your civil rights have been restored.  If you can, please provide written verification of a “final discharge” which means satisfactory completion of imprisonment, probation and parole as the case may be.  If possible, please attach a copy of your final discharge. If you do not have verification and you advise that your civil rights have been restored, you may still be qualified to serve. Verification can be faxed.


Civil Rights - Have not been Restored

Please note on the questionnaires that your civil rights have not been restored.  A person is disqualified from jury service if their civil rights have not been restored.


Civil Rights - I don't know if Restored

Please note on the questionnaires that you do not know if your civil rights were restored.

A person is disqualified from jury service if they cannot make an affirmative statement that his or her rights have been restored following a final discharge of his or her conviction. 


Criminal Charges - Pending

Please note on the questionnaires that you have pending criminal charges. It is very important that you provide the court with as much information as you can regarding the charges.

If you have pending charges and your rights have not been restored, you are disqualified from jury service. 

NOTE:  If the potential punishment for the pending charge is NOT "more than one (1) year," (even though it might be a year exactly), you would not be disqualified from service on this basis.


Probation - Currently on

Please note on the questionnaires that you are currently on probation, the charges, agency, and the name and phone number of your probation officer.

If you are currently on probation for a state or federal crime for which punishment could have been more than one (1) year in prison, you are disqualified from jury service. 

NOTE:  If the potential punishment is NOT "more than one (1) year," (even though it might be a year exactly), you would be qualified to serve.


Reasons for Postponement

Caring for a family member

If you are the caretaker of a family member who requires 24/7 care due to ailing health or special needs, the court will consider excusing you with verification from a medical provider that your care is needed 24/7, or the court may postpone your jury service. The court's postponement policy applies.

If you will be providing verification from a medical provider that requests that the court excuse you from jury service, please fax the excuse to the jury office.  Please be sure that your name and nine-digit juror participant number are located on the excuse.

The court may also offer you a one-time postponement of your jury service. The court's postponement policy applies.


Church Missions

Please forward the summons packet to the summoned juror for completion of the questionnaires on-line. In order to fill out the questionnaires on-line they will need their nine (9) digit juror participant number which is located on the front of the summons.  If they do not have access to a computer someone other than the summoned juror may fill out the questionnaires.

Individuals on a mission out of state whom will not be returning to Idaho within a one (1) year period may be excused.  Verification must be provided and may be faxed.

If you will be returning within a one year period, we may offer a one-time postponement. The court's postponement policy applies.


College Students

College students are not excused from jury service. The court's postponement policy applies.


College Student - Out of State

Please forward the summons to the summoned juror and have them fill out the questionnaires on-line. In order to fill out the questionnaires on-line they will need their nine (9) digit juror participant number which is located on the front of the summons.

Students attending college out of state whom will not be returning to Idaho within a one (1) year period may be excused. If the student plans on returning to Idaho for the summer, etc., we will postpone their jury service. The court's postponement policy applies.


Nursing Mother

We may offer a one-time postponement of up to one (1) year.  Please provide a brief explanation on the Juror Qualification (second) Questionnaire. The court's postponement policy applies.


Snowbirds

A Snowbird is someone who maintains their residence in Idaho, but spends cold months in another state.  The postponement policy applies.


Stay at Home Parent

If you are a stay at home parent, we may offer you a one-time postponement. The court's postponement policy applies.


Work out of town

If your employment requires you to work and stay outside of Idaho for extended periods of time, the court's postponement policy applies.


Postponement Policy

We may offer a one-time postponement of your jury service.  If you believe jury service would result in an undue hardship you may request a postponement.  When completing the second questionnaire, you will be asked to provide a month within the next calendar year that you would like your service postponed to.

IMPORTANT:  When selecting a month, please be prepared to keep that month available for jury service because a second postponement will most likely be denied.

Written approval will not be provided, please wait ten (10) days for processing. Call the Automated Jury Information System (AJIS) at 1-800-699-9840 or check your current status on our website for confirmation that your jury service has been postponed. You will be asked to provide your nine (9) digit juror participant number which is located on your summons.

If your postponement is granted, our office will mail you a new summons packet for your new month of service.  We will be unable to use the questionnaires that you previously filled out.