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Jury Duty Exemptions - Superior Court

You must be able to prove that serving on a jury would cause you undue hardship to be exempted or dismissed from service.

All King County residents who meet qualifications and cannot be excused for an undue hardship must serve as a juror when summoned. In Washington state, we all have the right for a trial by jury. Both Superior Court civil and criminal cases have juries.

By law, all King County residents must serve as a juror when called on unless you are

  • Not a United States citizen
  • Under 18 years of age
  • Unable to communicate in English or American Sign languages
  • A convicted felon currently incarcerated

We randomly choose juror potentials for upcoming cases. You will not know in advance the details or type of trial you may serve on.

You will not know if what you do for a living or events in your past will excuse you from the jury until the selection process. There are no occupational or professional exemptions for students, teachers, healthcare providers, sales professionals, or the self-employed.

If you are unemployed, you must respond. Report all compensation you get as a prospective or serving juror. For more information visit the Washington State Employment Security Division website.

Other potential exemptions

Let us know if you have reported for jury duty in Superior Court within the past 12 months. Log in to our online Juror Portal to request excusal due to recently serving. If your recent summons was for another court, you must still respond to the Superior Court.

If a summons was accidently sent to a deceased person, please note “deceased” on the addressee portion of the summons and return the item to the mailbox. The Post Office will return it to the court.

Undue hardships

You may request excusal if you are a King County resident who cannot serve on a jury due to an undue hardship. Undue hardship means it would be unfair for you to serve due to a medical, physical, or sensory condition. 

You may reschedule

If the hardship is an appointment you can reschedule, we won't grant excusal. This includes susceptibility to COVID-19. Instead, please log in to our online Juror Portal and move your summons to a later date that works better. Every person is eligible to postpone their jury duty date twice. Only the individual named on the summons should log in to this site. Do not log in to the site if you are not the person named on the summons even if you are their parent, child, or guardian.

Letter from a physician

We need a physician's letter detailing your permanent medical, physical, or sensory condition.

Submit your physician's letter by

Mail

King County Superior Courthouse
516 Third Ave, First Floor Jury Assembly Room
Seattle, WA 98104 

Fax: 206-296-0986

Email: jurydutysea@kingcounty.gov

Upload: Using the Juror Portal

You will receive a confirmation of your excusal from jury duty once we process the letter from your physician.

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