California’s new jury duty loophole that excuses you forever — but only if you’re over a certain age

Californians can now skip jury duty forever — but there’s a catch.

Signed into law on Monday, Assembly Bill 1359 allows Golden Staters aged 80 and up to request a permanent excuse from jury duty due to a health condition — without a note from a doctor.

The law will go into effect beginning January 2028.

Once you receive your summons in the mail, you can submit a written statement to the jury commissioner, self-affirming that you have a health impairment that stops you from serving.

People over 80 without a health impairment are still able serve on a jury.

Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens, who introduced the bill, said it was inspired by a conservation he has with former Santa Clara County supervisor Dianne McKenna, who told him how difficult it was for her elderly husband to get an exemption from jury duty.

“Seniors are great jurists that can and will continue to serve if they’re willing and able to,” Ahrens told CalMatters. “But if they cannot, they will no longer have to jump through hoops to permanently opt out.”

At a June hearing, Andrew Mendoza, the director of state affairs for the Alzheimer’s Association, said the bill could be helpful those with undiagnosed conditions.

“A significant number of people living with Alzheimer’s disease are without a diagnosis, and not everyone is fortunate enough to have a caregiver to assist with navigating through the system,” said Mendoza.

“This bill can assist vulnerable populations avoid what would otherwise be a stressful process to obtain documents and explain their condition as a disability during a time of great circumstantial change.”

Other states have laws allowing anyone over a certain age to opt out of jury duty. In Florida, you can opt out at 70, and in Texas, you can opt out at 75.

Californians 70 and older can already request to be excused from jury service due to a medical condition without a doctor’s note, but not permanently.

Under the current law, potential jurors over 70 must request an exemption each time they are called for jury duty.

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