In Connecticut, you can be exempt from jury duty at age 75. The exemption is not automatic: when a summons arrives, you have to check the age-based exemption box on the response form and return it by the deadline. Do that once, and your name goes on an exclusion list so future summonses stop coming.
The Age Is 75, Not 70
Connecticut General Statutes Section 51-217 disqualifies a person from jury service if they are 75 or older and choose not to serve.1Justia. Connecticut General Statutes 51-217 (2024) – Qualification of Jurors “Disqualified” sounds harsher than it is. In practice, the court removes you from the pool when you ask; you are not forced out.
Before October 1, 2021, the cutoff was 70. Public Act 21-170 raised it to 75.2Connecticut General Assembly. Public Act No. 21-170 Old guidance with the number 70 still circulates, and it is wrong. If you are between 70 and 74, you are still eligible and still expected to respond to any summons you receive.
How to Claim the Exemption
Turning 75 does not remove your name from the jury pool on its own. You have to opt out affirmatively, and the summons itself is where you do it.
The summons includes a response form with a checkbox for the age-based exemption.3Office of Legislative Research. Maximum Age for Jury Duty Check it and return the form. Connecticut accepts three response methods: the state’s eResponse portal online, mail using the return envelope, or phone. The response deadline is printed on the summons. Once the Jury Administrator processes your request, your name is added to an exclusion list and you should not receive future summonses.1Justia. Connecticut General Statutes 51-217 (2024) – Qualification of Jurors
Documentation is usually not required. The court pulls dates of birth from the databases it uses to build the jury pool, so checking the box is normally enough. If verification is ever requested, a driver’s license, state ID, birth certificate, or passport will do.
The exemption is voluntary and reversible. If you opt out and later change your mind, you can contact the Jury Administration Office and ask to be put back on the active list.
If You Get Summoned Again After Opting Out
It happens, and the cause is usually clerical. Connecticut builds its jury pool from voter registration rolls, driver’s license records, unemployment compensation lists, and state income tax filings.4Connecticut General Assembly. Jury Selection Lists Those databases do not always match cleanly. A middle initial on one list and none on another can produce two records for the same person. An address change can do the same.
If a new summons arrives after you have already claimed the exemption, respond through eResponse or call the Jury Administration Office. You will likely need to resubmit the exemption request. Keep a government-issued ID nearby to speed up the correction. If the summonses keep coming, escalate directly to the Office of the Jury Administrator and ask that your record be flagged across all source databases.
What Happens If You Ignore the Summons Instead
Being eligible for an exemption is not the same as being excused. A summons you never respond to counts as a summons you violated, no matter how old you are.
In Connecticut state court, a juror who fails to appear faces a civil penalty in an amount set by the judges of the Superior Court.5Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 884 – Jurors The statute leaves the dollar figure to the court’s discretion. Typically the court issues a show-cause order first, giving you a chance to explain. A legitimate reason such as never receiving the summons or a medical emergency usually resolves things. No response at all is where trouble starts.
The simplest path if you are 75 or older: check the exemption box and send the response back promptly. That takes a few minutes and closes the file for good.
Federal Jury Duty Works Differently
Everything above applies to Connecticut state courts. A summons from the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut is a separate system with separate rules.
Federal law does not set a hard age cutoff the way Connecticut does. Most federal district courts offer permanent excuses to people over 70, but the decision is made case by case at the court’s discretion.6United States Courts. Juror Qualifications, Exemptions and Excuses If you receive a federal summons, you can respond online through the e-Juror system or by mail, and you can submit excuse or postponement requests through either method.7United States District Court. How Do I Respond to My Summons The state’s age-75 rule will not do the work for you in federal court; you have to ask.