Section 12-16-63.1 Request for postponement of service. - Alabama Statutes

Section 12-16-63.1

Request for postponement of service.

(a) Individuals scheduled to appear for jury service have the right to postpone the date of their initial appearance for jury service one time only. When requested, postponements shall be granted, upon consideration of the following:

(1) The juror has not previously been granted a postponement.

(2) The prospective juror appears in person or contacts the clerk by telephone, electronic mail, or in writing to request a postponement.

(3) Prior to the grant of a postponement with the concurrence of the court, the prospective juror fixes a date certain on which he or she will appear for jury service that is not more than six months after the date on which the prospective juror originally was called to serve and on which date the court will be in session.

(b) A subsequent request to postpone jury service may be approved by a judicial officer only in the event of an extreme emergency, such as a death in the family, sudden grave illness, or a natural disaster or a national emergency in which the prospective juror is personally involved, that could not have been anticipated at the time the initial postponement was granted. Prior to the grant of a second postponement, the prospective juror shall fix a date certain on which the individual will appear for jury service within six months of the postponement on a date when the court will be in session.

(Act 2005-311, 1st Sp. Sess., §2.)