What's happening
This bill allows anyone age 65 or older in New York to be excused from jury duty upon request, without needing to prove hardship.
Why it matters
Reduces barriers for older adults. By allowing anyone 65 or older to be excused from jury duty simply by requesting it, the bill removes the need for seniors to prove hardship, incapacity, or inconvenience, making the process less burdensome for them.
Potential impact on jury pool demographics. This could lead to fewer older individuals serving on juries, potentially affecting the age diversity of jury panels and the perspectives represented in jury deliberations.
Streamlines administrative process. Since requests only require proof of age (submitted by mail, fax, email, or in person), the administrative workload for both older applicants and court staff is likely to decrease, improving efficiency.
Responds to evolving views on senior participation. The change acknowledges that many seniors may face challenges with jury service or may simply prefer not to serve, reflecting a broader respect for personal choice in civic obligations as people age.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Let Seniors Skip Jury Duty
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
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History
- Referred to judiciary
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10655
IN ASSEMBLY
May 10, 2018
Introduced by M. of A. BARNWELL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Judiciary
AN ACT to amend the judiciary law, in relation to optional excusal from jury service for persons age 65 and over
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision (a) of section 517 of the judiciary law is amended by adding a new paragraph 3 to read as follows:
(3) An application for excusal from the whole of the time of jury service shall be granted hereunder upon the request of any person who is sixty-five years of age or over made to the commissioner of jurors, without any need to show mental or physical incapacity, undue hardship or extreme inconvenience to the applicant. The application with proof of age shall be presented to the commissioner by mail, fax, email or in person at such time as he or she shall require.
§ 2. Subdivision (c) of section 517 of the judiciary law, as amended by chapter 86 of the laws of 1995, is amended to read as follows:
(c) [In] Except as provided in paragraph three of subdivision (a) of this section, in determining whether an application for excusal should be granted, the commissioner or the court shall consider whether the applicant has a mental or physical condition that causes him or her to be incapable of performing jury service or there is any other fact which indicates that attendance for jury service in accordance with the summons would cause undue hardship or extreme inconvenience to the applicant, a person under his or her care or supervision, or the public. Except as provided in paragraph two of subdivision (a) of this section, in determining whether an application for postponement should be granted, the commissioner or the court shall be guided by standards promulgated by the chief administrator of the courts.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the first of September next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15595-01-8
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.