In California, there is no age at which you are exempt from jury duty. State law grants no automatic pass based on birthday, but if you are 70 or older you can ask to be excused for a physical or mental hardship without having to submit a doctor’s verification. You still have to respond to the summons and make the request.
Why 70 Is Not an Automatic Exemption
California Code of Civil Procedure Section 204 states that no eligible person is exempt from jury service for any reason, including age. The only ground for being excused is undue hardship on the juror or on the public, and the specifics are left to rules written by the Judicial Council.1California Legislative Information. California Code of Civil Procedure 204
So a healthy 75-year-old with no caregiving duties and no financial pressure is, on paper, just as summonable as a 35-year-old. Age by itself is not a hardship, and the court is not required to excuse anyone simply because they have reached retirement.
What Being 70 or Older Actually Changes
The real benefit of turning 70 sits in Rule 2.1008 of the California Rules of Court. Any juror can ask to be excused because a physical or mental condition would make service a hardship. For jurors under 70, the court may require a licensed physician to verify that condition in writing. For jurors 70 and older, the court cannot require that medical verification.2Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.1008 Excuses From Jury Service
In practice, that removes the biggest friction point. You still have to claim the hardship in writing, and you still have to describe it. But you do not need to visit your doctor, ask for a signed statement, and route it back to the court before your reporting date. Your word is enough.
A few things this rule does not do. It does not excuse you from responding to the summons. It does not apply if you are not claiming a physical or mental condition; a 72-year-old who wants out for other reasons has to make one of the other hardship arguments like anyone else. And it is not a permanent removal from the jury pool at the state level. Your name can come up again in a future selection cycle.
How to Ask to Be Excused
The summons itself is where the process starts. It includes a section for indicating the hardship that prevents you from serving, and you have to fill in the relevant portions even if you plan to finish the request online or by phone.
Most California superior courts run an online juror portal. In Los Angeles County, jurors log in with the Juror Identification Number and PIN printed on the summons, then use the “Excuse” tab to submit the request.3LACourt.org. What Should I Do When I Receive a Jury Summons Other counties operate similar systems with slightly different interfaces. If you are under 70 and claiming a medical excuse, your physician typically completes a section of the form; if you are 70 or older, you can skip that step.
Send the request as soon as you receive the summons. Courts want excuse decisions made before the reporting date, and a last-minute submission is easier for the clerk to reject or overlook.
Other Hardships That Can Get You Excused
The age-70 rule is only one path. The Judicial Council recognizes several forms of undue hardship, any of which can apply regardless of how old you are:
- A physical or mental condition that would expose you to a risk of harm.2Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.1008 Excuses From Jury Service
- Extreme financial burden, evaluated on your household income, whether your employer pays you during service, the expected trial length, and whether serving would compromise your ability to support yourself or your dependents.2Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.1008 Excuses From Jury Service
- Caregiving responsibility for a child, elderly relative, or disabled person when no comparable substitute care is available without its own financial hardship.2Judicial Branch of California. Rule 2.1008 Excuses From Jury Service
- Active military duty, which lets service members postpone or be excused under the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.
Financial hardship is stricter than most people assume. General inconvenience or a missed paycheck is not usually enough on its own. The court is looking at whether service would meaningfully destabilize your finances, not whether you would prefer to keep working.
Postponing Instead of Excusing
If your problem is a specific date rather than an ongoing condition, ask for a postponement. You pick a later reporting date, and the obligation carries over. This is the usual answer for a scheduled vacation, a work deadline, a medical appointment, or an exam.
You request a postponement through the same channels as an excuse: the summons form, the online portal, or the phone number printed on the summons. Instead of describing a hardship, you select a new date within the range the court permits. Most courts allow at least one postponement without much scrutiny, which can be a cleaner option than arguing an excuse.
What Happens If You Ignore the Summons
Throwing the summons away is a bad plan at any age. Under Code of Civil Procedure Section 209, a prospective juror who fails to respond can be found in contempt of court, with penalties of up to a $1,500 fine, up to five days in jail, or both.4Superior Court of California | County of San Bernardino. Failure to Appear/Respond to a Jury Summons
Courts usually escalate in steps. A first no-response often triggers a second summons or a warning letter. Continued silence can lead to an order to appear and, eventually, a bench warrant. Simply responding to the summons, even just to request an excuse or postponement, meets the legal obligation and keeps you out of that path.
Federal Jury Duty Is a Separate Question
If the summons comes from a U.S. District Court rather than a California superior court, different rules apply. Federal courts set their own policies, and most federal districts do offer permanent excuses for people over 70 on the grounds of undue hardship or extreme inconvenience.5United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses That is a stronger position than California state law gives, so if you are 70 or older and your summons is federal, it is worth asking about a permanent excuse rather than a one-time one.
Federal eligibility itself tracks California’s in most respects: U.S. citizenship, at least 18 years old, residence in the judicial district for at least one year, and enough English to complete a juror questionnaire.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 US Code 1865 – Qualifications for Jury Service Ignoring a federal summons carries its own penalties: a fine of up to $1,000, up to three days in jail, community service, or some combination.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 US Code 1866 – Selection and Summoning of Jury Panels
The rule to remember is simple. In California state court, no age exempts you, but 70 makes a hardship excuse much easier to claim. Respond to the summons, request the excuse in writing, and the rest usually takes care of itself.