The jury commissioner shall hear the excuses of jurors summoned, in accordance with the standards prescribed by the Judicial Council. It shall be left to the discretion of the jury commissioner to accept an excuse under subdivision (b) of Section 204 without a personal appearance. All excuses shall be in writing setting forth the basis of the request and shall be signed by the juror.
§ 218.Hearing excuses
Title 3. Persons Specially Invested With Powers of a Judicial Nature · Chapter 1. Trial Jury Selection and Management Act · Enacted 1988 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 218 governs how excuses from jury service are heard, tying into the undue-hardship standard the Judicial Council sets under § 204.
Full Text of § 218
Plain-English Summary
Section 218 addresses the process for hearing a prospective juror’s request to be excused from service, the practical companion to § 204’s substantive undue-hardship standard.
Where § 204 asks whether a reason qualifies as undue hardship, § 218 is about who hears that request and how, so that excuse requests move through the system in an orderly way rather than being handled inconsistently case by case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the process for requesting an excuse from jury duty in California?
Section 218 addresses the hearing of excuse requests, working alongside § 204’s undue-hardship standard.
What standard applies when a court hears an excuse request?
The undue-hardship standard the Judicial Council defines under § 204 governs whether an excuse is granted.
Is an excuse request under Section 218 the same as a disqualification under Section 203?
No. Section 203 addresses who is not qualified to serve at all; § 218 addresses hearing a qualified person’s request to be excused for undue hardship.
Amendment History
Added Stats 1988 ch 1245 § 2.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: requesting excuse from jury duty californiahearing jury duty excuse californiaundue hardship jury duty hearingcalifornia jury excuse process