What Disqualifies You From Jury Duty in Massachusetts?

What disqualifies you from jury duty in Massachusetts is a short, specific list set out in Chapter 234A, Section 4 of the General Laws: you don’t meet the basic eligibility rules, you have a recent felony conviction or pending felony case, a physical or mental disability prevents you from serving, you are the sole caregiver for a disabled household member, you are 70 or older and choose not to serve, or you’ve served on a grand or trial jury within the last three years. Anything outside that list is not a disqualification, though you may still qualify for a hardship excusal or a postponement.

Basic Eligibility

Four requirements come before any of the specific disqualifications. You must be a United States citizen, at least 18 years old, a Massachusetts resident or someone who lives in the state more than 50 percent of the time, and able to speak and understand English well enough to follow a trial.¹ Fail any one of these and you are not eligible. Indicate that when you respond to the summons.

Voter registration has nothing to do with it. The statute states that you qualify “whether or not [you are] registered to vote in any state or federal election.”²

Felony Convictions, Pending Charges, and Incarceration

A felony conviction disqualifies you only if it happened within the past seven years. You are also disqualified while you have a pending felony case or are in the custody of a correctional institution.² To claim this disqualification, submit a letter or certificate from the appropriate clerk of court or jury commissioner verifying the conviction or pending case.

Two things worth knowing. If your felony conviction is eight or more years old and you have no pending charges, you are eligible again. Misdemeanor convictions never disqualify you.

Medical and Disability Disqualification

A physical or mental disability disqualifies you if it keeps you from doing what the role actually requires. The statute uses a practical test: could you perform a sedentary job that demands close attention for six hours a day, with short morning and afternoon breaks, for three consecutive business days? If not, you qualify.²

You need a letter from a registered physician or accredited Christian Science practitioner. It must include the practitioner’s letterhead and credentials, the nature of your condition, the practitioner’s opinion that the condition prevents you from serving, and their signature.³

Permanent Disqualification

If your condition will never improve enough for you to serve, you can request permanent disqualification. The physician’s letter must specifically state that the disability is permanent and that you will never be capable of rendering satisfactory jury service. If the Office of Jury Commissioner (OJC) agrees, your name comes off the juror list and you won’t be summoned again.²

When Accommodations Apply Instead

Having a disability is not automatic grounds for disqualification. Massachusetts courts provide accommodations such as wheelchair-accessible courtrooms, assistive listening devices, and sign language interpreters. If those accommodations allow you to follow the trial and deliberate, you are expected to serve. The disqualification applies only where no reasonable accommodation would make service feasible.

Sole Caregiver

If you are the only person responsible for the daily care of someone with a permanent disability who lives in your household, you may be disqualified. The standard is that your absence for jury duty would create a substantial risk of injury to that person’s health. You also cannot be regularly employed outside your home, and you cannot be a professional caregiver or home health aide.⁴

This one requires a physician’s letter confirming both that your jury service would pose a substantial health risk to the person in your care and that you do not work outside the home.⁴ Caring for young children who are not permanently disabled does not qualify under this provision.

Age 70 or Older

If you are 70 or older, you can choose whether to serve. This is not automatic. You have to indicate on your summons response that you elect not to serve and provide your date of birth. If you make that election, the OJC permanently removes you from the juror list and you won’t be summoned again.¹ If you are 70 and willing to serve, you can.

Recent Jury Service

You are disqualified if you served as a grand or trial juror in any state or federal court within the past three years, or if you are currently scheduled to serve. Provide the date and location of your prior or upcoming service when you claim this disqualification.¹ Federal courts apply a slightly different rule for state court service, requiring that you served five or more days before they’ll excuse you.⁵

Hardship Excusals

The statutory disqualifications are rigid categories. If you don’t fit any of them but serving would still cause you serious problems, Massachusetts has a separate hardship process, and it works differently depending on the severity of your situation.

Extreme Hardship Before Your Service Date

In rare cases, the OJC will excuse you in advance if coming to the courthouse at all would be an extreme hardship. This is reserved for situations like living in a religious order that restricts outside travel or having a rare medical condition that prevents you from leaving home. Ordinary difficulties such as inconvenience, lack of childcare, or work obligations do not qualify. Send a written explanation to the OJC Operations Manager at least 30 days before your service date.⁶

Unusual Hardship at the Courthouse

If your situation doesn’t rise to the extreme level but you still have a legitimate reason you can’t serve, you must report to the courthouse on your scheduled date and ask a judge to excuse you in person. Judges have discretion. There is no set list of qualifying reasons. Financial hardship, serious scheduling conflicts, and similar problems may be considered, but you need to show up and make your case.⁶

Postponement as an Alternative

If nothing on the disqualification or hardship list fits and the problem is really about timing, postpone. Trial jurors get one automatic postponement per summons. You can pick any available business day within 12 months of your original service date, for any reason. The OJC recommends choosing a date no more than 11 months out so you have room to reschedule if something changes.⁷

Grand jury service works differently. Because most grand juries convene in January, April, July, and October, your deferral options are limited to those months, though you can still defer within 12 months of your original date.⁸

How to Claim a Disqualification

You can respond to a jury summons online, by mail, or by phone. The online option at the Massachusetts Juror Service website is available around the clock and gives you the fastest confirmation. Through the website you can confirm service, request a disqualification, postpone or defer, request a hardship transfer to a different courthouse, and update your contact information.⁹

To respond by mail, fill out the postage-prepaid Juror Confirmation Form attached to the bottom of your summons. By phone, call the OJC Call Center at (800) 843-5879, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.⁹ Whichever method you use, attach the required documentation: the court letter for a felony-related disqualification, the physician’s letter for a medical or caregiver disqualification, or your date of birth for the age-70 election.

Do Not Ignore the Summons

Failing to appear for jury service or failing to meet the conditions of your service is a criminal offense under Massachusetts law. A conviction carries a fine of up to $2,000.² In practice, the OJC typically sends follow-up notices before pursuing penalties, but the legal authority to fine you exists from the moment you fail to respond.

If you have a legitimate reason you can’t serve, respond to the summons and claim your disqualification, request a postponement, or show up and ask the judge to excuse you. Every one of those options is free and relatively simple. Doing nothing is the only path that creates legal risk.

1
Mass.gov. Learn About Juror Eligibility and Disqualification
2
Mass.gov. Mass General Laws c234A – 4
3
Mass.gov. Request a Medical Disqualification From Jury Duty
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Mass.gov. Request a Caregiver Disqualification From Jury Duty
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United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Requesting an Excuse From Jury Duty
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Mass.gov. Asking to Be Excused From Jury Duty
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Mass.gov. Postpone Your Jury Service
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Mass.gov. Request to Defer Your Grand Jury Service
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Mass.gov. Respond to Your Jury Summons