If you’ve been summoned for Alabama jury duty, you generally have to serve when you’re at least 19, a U.S. citizen, and have lived in the county for more than 12 months. Full-time employees keep their regular pay during service, the court adds a $10 daily stipend, and ignoring the summons can bring a fine of up to $300 and up to 10 days in jail.
Who Has to Serve
Alabama’s baseline requirements are straightforward. You must be a U.S. citizen, at least 19 years old, a resident of the summoning county for more than 12 months, and able to read, speak, and understand English.1Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-16-60 – Qualifications of Jurors
A conviction for a crime involving moral turpitude permanently disqualifies you unless your civil rights have been restored. The state’s list is broader than most people expect: murder, assault, robbery, theft, burglary, sexual offenses, drug trafficking, fraud, perjury, and many more.1Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-16-60 – Qualifications of Jurors Anyone a court has declared mentally incompetent is also ineligible.
Your name reaches the summons list through the county jury commission’s master list, drawn from sources like voter rolls and driver’s license records.2Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-16-57 – Master List Many Alabama courts now let you confirm your reporting date the evening before through a phone line or online portal, so check your paperwork for that option before you make plans to appear in person.
Getting Excused or Postponed
Alabama doesn’t hand out blanket exemptions, but several specific paths exist. Requests are made in writing to the court, and a judge reviews them individually.
Hardship
If serving would cause undue physical or financial hardship, you can ask to be excused or to have your service postponed. Medical excusals are the most straightforward and usually need a physician’s statement. Sole caregivers for young children, elderly parents, or disabled family members can request excusal with proof of the caregiving arrangement. Full-time students whose exams or coursework would be seriously disrupted can request a postponement to a different term rather than a full excusal.
Age 75 and Older
Anyone 75 or older can request a permanent exemption. You submit a written statement to the court and are removed from the master jury list.3Alabama Legislature. SB64 Engrossed – Amendments to Alabama Code 12-16-62 It’s opt-in. If you’re over 75 and want to serve, you still can.
Nursing Mothers
Under Parker’s Law, effective in 2025, a mother who provides proof to the court that she is breastfeeding is exempt from jury service for 24 months. A doctor’s note is the standard form of proof.
Disability
A disability doesn’t automatically disqualify you. Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, courts must provide reasonable accommodations so you can take part.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 12132 – Discrimination That can mean assistive listening devices, large-print materials, sign language interpreters, or accessible seating. The court will only excuse you if no accommodation would allow meaningful participation.
Small-Employer Conflicts
If your employer has five or fewer full-time employees and a coworker has already been summoned for the same period, the court must postpone your service automatically. This postponement doesn’t use up your right to one additional automatic postponement.5Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-16-8 – Excuse of Employee for Jury Duty
What Your Employer Owes You
Alabama’s job protections here are stronger than in many states. Your employer cannot fire, discipline, or penalize you for responding to a jury summons, and cannot force you to use vacation, sick leave, or personal time for any part of your service, including selection.5Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-16-8 – Excuse of Employee for Jury Duty
Full-time employees are also entitled to their usual pay during service. The statute states that “any full-time employee shall be entitled to his or her usual compensation received from such employment.”5Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-16-8 – Excuse of Employee for Jury Duty Part-time workers don’t have that same statutory guarantee, so their pay depends on the employer’s own policy.
There’s one step on your side: on the next workday after you receive your summons, show it to your immediate supervisor. The statute treats that as a duty, and it triggers your employer’s obligation to release you for the days you’re needed.
If you’re a salaried exempt employee under federal law, the Fair Labor Standards Act adds another layer. Your employer cannot dock your salary for jury absences, though it can offset the jury stipend against your pay for that week so long as your guaranteed salary isn’t reduced.6eCFR. 29 CFR 541.602 – Salary Basis
What the Court Pays
Alabama pays jurors $10 per day plus five cents per mile for travel to and from the courthouse. The Alabama Supreme Court has authority to adjust these amounts but has left them where they are for years.7Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-19-210 – Grand and Petit Jurors Generally Grand jurors, who meet periodically over several months, receive the same daily rate for each day they appear.
Jury pay is taxable. Report it on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 8h. If your employer keeps paying your full salary and asks you to turn over the stipend, you can deduct the amount you surrendered on Schedule 1, line 24a, so you aren’t taxed on the same income twice.8Internal Revenue Service. Publication 525 – Taxable and Nontaxable Income
What Happens If You Don’t Show Up
Skipping jury duty without a valid excuse starts a contempt process. The court issues a show-cause order requiring you to appear and explain why you didn’t report. If you don’t appear, or your explanation isn’t accepted, you can be fined up to $300 and jailed for up to 10 days.9Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-16-82 – Effect of Failure of Person Summoned as Juror to Obey Summons
In courts with sessions longer than 30 days, the show-cause order is returnable 20 days after it’s issued, and you have 10 days after being served to appear and offer your excuse.9Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 12-16-82 – Effect of Failure of Person Summoned as Juror to Obey Summons Courts are generally reasonable about genuine emergencies and clerical problems. A misdirected summons or a hospital stay, explained promptly, usually resolves the issue. Repeated no-shows get closer attention.
If Your Summons Is From Federal Court
A summons to a federal court in Alabama follows different rules. Federal jury service requires you to be 18, not 19, and to have lived in the judicial district for at least one year rather than in a specific county. A criminal conviction disqualifies you if the offense was punishable by more than one year of imprisonment and your civil rights haven’t been restored.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1865 – Qualifications for Jury Service Federal jurors are paid $50 per day, and employer protections and penalties come from the federal court’s own rules rather than the Alabama statutes above. Your summons will say which system called you; read it carefully.
Watch Out for Fake Jury Duty Calls
A common scam involves a phone call or email from someone claiming to be a U.S. Marshal or police officer, saying you missed jury duty and will be arrested unless you pay a fine immediately. The payment demand gives it away: gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or a payment app. Real courts don’t do this.11Federal Trade Commission. That Call or Email Saying You Missed Jury Duty and Need to Pay? It’s a Scam Courts also don’t ask for your Social Security number, bank account, or date of birth over the phone. A legitimate summons comes by mail from the circuit court clerk, and any fine is imposed by a judge after a hearing. Hang up and don’t send anything.