A person summoned for jury service may ask the court clerk to postpone the first appearance. The clerk must grant it if the timing and one-year/ six-month conditions are met; a second postponement is allowed only for an unexpected extreme emergency.
Sec. 62.0143. POSTPONEMENT OF JURY SERVICE. (a) A person summoned for jury service may request a postponement of the person's initial appearance for jury service. The person may request the postponement by contacting the clerk of the court in person, in writing, or by telephone before the date on which the person is summoned to appear. (b) On receipt of a request under Subsection (a), the clerk of the court shall grant the person a postponement if: (1) the person has not been granted a postponement in that county during the one-year period preceding the date on which the person is summoned to appear; and (2) the person and the clerk determine a substitute date on which the person will appear for jury service that is not later than six months after the date on which the person was originally summoned to appear. (c) A person who receives a postponement under Subsection (b) may request a subsequent postponement in the manner described by Subsection (a). The clerk of the court may approve the subsequent postponement only because of an extreme emergency that could not have been anticipated, such as a death in the person's family, sudden serious illness suffered by the person, or a natural disaster or national emergency in which the person is personally involved. Before the clerk may grant the subsequent postponement, the person and the clerk must determine a substitute date on which the person will appear for jury service that is not later than six months after the date on which the person was to appear after the postponement under Subsection (b). Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1360 (S.B. 1704), Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2005. Renumbered from Government Code, Section 62.0142 by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 921 (H.B. 3167), Sec. 17.001(26), eff. September 1, 2007.