494.432. Postponement of jury duty, when. - Missouri Statutes

Postponement of jury duty, when.

494.432. 1. Individuals scheduled to appear for jury service havethe right to postpone the date of their initial appearance for jury serviceone time only for reasons other than undue influence or extreme physical orfinancial hardship. When requested, postponements shall be granted,provided that:

(1) The prospective juror has not previously been granted apostponement;

(2) The prospective juror appears in person or contacts the board ofjury commissioners by telephone, electronic mail, or in writing to requesta postponement; and

(3) Prior to the grant of a postponement the court shall set the dateon which the prospective juror will appear for jury service that is notmore than six months after the date on which the prospective jurororiginally was called to serve and on which date the court will be insession. If a prospective juror is a full-time student of any accreditedinstitution, the court shall set the date on which the prospective jurorwill appear for jury service that is not more than twelve months after thedate on which the prospective juror originally was called to serve and onwhich the court will be in session.

2. A subsequent request to postpone jury service may be approved by ajudicial officer only in the event of an extreme emergency, such as a deathin the family, sudden grave illness, or a natural disaster or nationalemergency in which the prospective juror is personally involved, that couldnot have been anticipated at the time the initial postponement was granted.Prior to the grant of a second postponement, the prospective juror must fixa date certain on which the individual will appear for jury service withinsix months of the postponement on a date when the court will be in session.

(L. 2004 S.B. 1211, A.L. 2005 S.B. 420 & 344)