Question: I read in your column a few years ago that if you’re 80 years old you can be exempted from jury duty. I received a jury notice about two months ago for jury duty reporting July 25. Luckily when I called the number given, the case had been settled and I didn’t have to report. Whom can I contact to let them know that I’m already 80 years old and therefore exempt?
Answer: Most people 80 and older who don’t want to serve on a jury seek the exemption via the jury qualification questionnaire, before they ever get a summons — we highlight this because the 2024 questionnaires will be mailed statewide beginning Friday. Addressees 80 and older can claim the exemption by stating their age for question No. 3, answering “yes” to No. 7 and marking bubble 8 as the reason for their affirmative answer. They also must complete the rest of the survey. Plenty of octogenarians are happy to serve, but this is an option for others.
There are other exemptions as well, listed on the juror questionnaire.
As for your situation, in a followup email, you confirmed that you live in Honolulu and were summoned by the 1st Circuit (Oahu). You don’t have to do anything now. You could wait to see whether you receive another juror summons and request the exemption then, at least 14 days before the date of service. However, if you prefer to be proactive, you can inform the 1st Circuit Jury Pool Office now, asking to be excused from a potential future summons due to your age, said Jan Kagehiro, a spokesperson for the Hawaii State Judiciary.
In that case, submit the following information along with your request: your first and last name, the participant number from your most recent summons, and a copy of an unexpired government-issued identification card that includes your date of birth.
Mail it to: Jury Pool Office, Ka‘ahumanu Hale, 777 Punchbowl St., Honolulu, HI 96813.
If you need more information, call the office at 808-539-4363 or email jurypool.1cc@courts.hawaii.gov.
If you decide to wait until you are summoned again (which may or may not happen), you would request the exemption by following instructions included on the jury summons. Assuming that you provide satisfactory documentation in time, you would receive a notice from the 1st Circuit confirming you no longer need to appear.
We emphasize that this advice is for people 80 and older already in the jury pool who don’t want to be summoned again. Folks that age not already in the jury pool should wait to see if they receive a 2024 juror questionnaire and, if they do, request the exemption through the survey.
Starting Friday, questionnaires will be mailed to about 90,000 Oahu residents, 60,000 people in Maui County, 75,000 on Hawaii island, and 30,000 on Kauai, according to a news release from the Hawaii State Judiciary. Individuals are selected at random from among a pool of people who have a Hawaii state driver’s license and/or are registered to vote in Hawaii. The surveys will be used to select potential jurors who may be eligible to serve next year.
To be eligible, a person must be at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, a Hawaii resident and able to read and understand English. “Effective Jan. 1, 2024, citizens who have been convicted of a felony and who are eligible to receive, or have received a discharge, will be eligible for jury service,” the news release said.
Mahalo
Mahalo to the man who helped a lady struggling across the street with an overloaded bicycle. This was downtown. It looked like the guy pulled over and parked so he could help her, which was great because this lady was strewing stuff all over the street and then chasing after it — very hazardous. Mahalo to this helpful motorist. — Fellow driver
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
