Jury Duty in Hawaii: Pay, Exemptions, Excuses and What to Expect (2026)

Hawaii's circuit courts build a master jury list each year from voter registration lists, supplemented by lists such as taxpayers and licensed drivers. If you're a U.S. citizen and Hawaii resident, at least 18, living in the judicial circuit, and able to read, speak and understand English, you can be called. Most people first get a juror questionnaire, and some are later mailed a summons.

The headline numbers changed this year. Since July 1, 2026, jurors are paid $50 for each day they attend court, up from $30, plus 33 cents a mile or the cost of a bus fare. Your employer doesn't have to pay you, but it can't fire or threaten you over jury duty; doing so is a petty misdemeanor. A juror who ignores a summons without a reasonable excuse may be arrested and punished for contempt. Service is light by national standards: one day or one trial a year.

The rules are in chapter 612 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS §§ 612-1 to 612-27 for selection and service, and §§ 612-51 to 612-60 for grand jury counsel). Everything below is current as of November 2026.

Hawaii jury duty at a glance

Who can serve

Section 612-4(a) sets four requirements:

(a) A prospective juror shall be qualified to serve as a juror if the prospective juror is:

1. a citizen of the United States and of Hawaii;
2. at least eighteen years old;
3. a resident of the judicial circuit; and
4. able to read, speak and understand English.

Who is disqualified. Under § 612-4(b), you can't serve if a disability makes you incapable of satisfactory jury service, or if you have been "convicted of a felony in a state or federal court and not finally discharged or pardoned." "Finally discharged" means you have received, or are eligible to receive, a certificate of discharge under § 831-5. That rule took effect January 1, 2024; before then, a felony conviction kept many people off juries even after their sentences ended (Act 155 (2023)).

Disability. Chapter 612 defines disability broadly, as an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity (§ 612-3). If you claim the disqualification, the court may ask for a certificate from a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse. The Judiciary asks you to attach it to your questionnaire, and says a temporary medical condition doesn't qualify (Jury Questionnaire FAQ).

English. If you don't fully understand English, the Judiciary says you must still come in on your date and ask the court to excuse you; a family member or friend may come to help.

Where names come from. Each year the clerk for each circuit compiles a master list from all voter registration lists in the circuit, supplemented with other lists such as taxpayers and licensed drivers (§ 612-11). The court then mails questionnaires to names drawn at random, and you have ten days to return yours (§ 612-13). Willfully lying on the questionnaire to avoid or get onto a jury is a petty misdemeanor.

Exemptions and excuses

Hawaii separates exemptions you may claim from excuses a judge may grant.

Exemptions you can claim. Section 612-6 begins:

A person may claim exemption from service as a juror if the person is:

The list:

• Age. "A person eighty years of age or older" (§ 612-6(8)).
• Breastfeeding. A woman breastfeeding a child or expressing breast milk, for two years from the child's birth (§ 612-6(9)). The Judiciary asks you to mark the exemption on the questionnaire and attach a copy of the child's birth certificate.
• Recent service. Anyone who served as a juror in a Hawaii state court or the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii within one year before filling out the questionnaire.
• Distance. A person living more than seventy miles from the court.
• Jobs. Actively practicing physicians and dentists; active members of a police or fire department; active members of an emergency medical services agency; and judges.
• Officials and military. Elected officials while the legislature is in session, and armed forces or militia members on active service and deployed out of state.

(§ 612-6)

These exemptions are optional. If you qualify and want to serve, you can; if you don't claim the exemption, you may be summoned. Claim it when you fill out the questionnaire.

Excuses for hardship. Everyone else needs a judge's approval, and the standard is real hardship. Section 612-7 says:

A prospective juror shall not be excused by a court for slight or trivial cause, but only when it appears that jury duty would entail a serious personal hardship, or that for other good cause the prospective juror should be excused either temporarily or otherwise.

The Judiciary gives examples: caregiving when no one can take your place, or a disability or medical condition, which needs a physician's or physician assistant's certificate.

How to ask. Send a signed written request by mail, email or hand delivery to the court on your summons, postmarked or delivered at least two weeks before your date. Include your contact information, the date and courtroom, your participant and pool numbers, the reason, and supporting papers such as a doctor's note or airline itinerary. The court answers in writing; if you hear nothing, assume the request was denied and report (Judiciary FAQ). Even if you didn't ask earlier, the law lets you make the request to the judge through the clerk or bailiff once you're summoned (§ 612-20).

Postponing jury duty

You can ask the court to defer your service by writing or calling and explaining your situation, such as travel or a scheduling conflict. The court may or may not agree, and you get only one deferral each time you're summoned. In the Second, Third and Fifth Circuits (Maui County, Hawaii Island and Kauai), deferral requests must be in writing (Judiciary FAQ). If you're deferred, a new summons is mailed to you. You can't request a deferral through the jury information line or the website.

Juror pay

Act 126 of 2026 raised the daily rate in § 612-8(a) from $30 to $50, effective July 1, 2026 (Act 126). It was signed on June 24, 2026. The Judiciary's FAQ states the current rate:

You will receive $50 for each day of jury service plus round-trip mileage at 33 cents per mile from your home to the courts.

What that means:

• $50 a day, statewide. The same rate applies in every circuit, for trial and grand jurors alike, and it doesn't change for long trials.
• Mileage or bus fare. You get the higher of 33 cents for each mile traveled to and from court or the cost of an adult bus fare.
• Excused after showing up. If you report and are then excused at your own request, you may still get the mileage or bus fare, though the Judiciary says you may receive only that.
• Distant jurors. The court may reimburse actual travel, board and lodging for jurors who live far from the court.
• Parking tickets. You can't be fined for a parking violation connected with appearing for jury duty if you show the citation to the jury clerk, who verifies your service.
• When you're paid. Checks are mailed about four to five weeks after a pay period ends; pay periods close on the 15th and the last day of each month.
• Taxes. The Judiciary says juror pay is taxable income and that it issues a 1099 form if you receive more than $600 in jury fees.

(§ 612-8; note that the online HRS text of § 612-8 still printed $30 as of November 2026, before Act 126 was folded in.)

Your job is protected

Section 612-25 protects jurors' jobs:

(a) An employer shall not deprive an employee of the employee's employment, or threaten or otherwise coerce the employee with respect thereto, because the employee receives a summons, responds thereto, serves as a juror, or attends court for prospective jury service.

The rest of the section supplies the teeth:

1. A crime for the employer. An employer who violates the rule "is guilty of a petty misdemeanor," which carries a fine of up to $1,000 and up to thirty days in jail (§ 706-640, § 706-663).
2. A lawsuit if you're fired. You have ninety days from the firing to sue for lost wages and an order reinstating you.
3. A cap. Damages can't exceed six weeks of lost wages.
4. Attorney's fees. If you win, the court awards a reasonable attorney's fee.

Your employer doesn't have to pay you. The Judiciary says no Hawaii law requires it. Some employers pay full salary anyway, and union contracts may cover you. Tell your employer as soon as your summons arrives, and ask the jury clerk or the trial's law clerk for a work excuse form certifying your service.

What happens if you don't show up

Section 612-19(b) sets the consequence:

A prospective juror who, wilfully or without reasonable excuse, fails to attend after receipt of a summons by the court may be arrested and punished for contempt.

Hawaii's criminal contempt statute names a juror who, without the court's permission, intentionally fails to attend a proceeding to which the juror was summoned. Criminal contempt is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $2,000 and up to a year in jail, though the court may treat it as a petty misdemeanor instead (§ 710-1077; § 706-640). The clerk may also put your name back in the wheel for the next year (§ 612-19). Ignoring the questionnaire can be punished as contempt too, after the court first summons you to fill it out (§ 612-13).

If an emergency comes up, call the court as soon as you can.

Your first day

Each circuit runs its own jury pool. The Judiciary's pages describe how it works:

• Check the night before. Reporting times change. After 5 p.m. on the business day before your date, check eJuror with your court and the participant number from your summons, or call the jury information line on your summons.
• Oahu's afternoon rule. On Oahu, if no trial time is listed the night before, you're tentatively set for an afternoon trial; check again after 10:30 a.m. that morning. On Maui, Hawaii Island and Kauai, no time means you've been tentatively rescheduled, so call the jury clerk.
• Bring your summons. Arriving on the wrong date or at the wrong time means no reimbursement for travel.
• Where to go on Oahu. First Circuit jurors report to Kaʻahumanu Hale, 777 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu. Oahu's jury staff can be reached at 808-539-4360, and parking is validated in the Makai and South Street garages (Jury Pool Information).
• Orientation. Jurors in every circuit go through an orientation that may include a short video and covers payment cards and parking.
• A full day. Court runs from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; lunch recess is usually noon to 1:30 p.m. Jury selection usually takes a day, and many trials last three to four days.
• Dress and conduct. No strict dress code, but no shorts, slippers, tank tops or hats. Courtrooms run cold, so bring a sweater. No eating, drinking or gum in court, and no children; child care isn't available.
• Phones. The Judiciary recommends leaving electronics at home; devices must be off in the courtroom. Leave scissors and pocket knives at home or they'll be confiscated.
• Accommodations. Call the jury staff as early as possible if you need a sight interpreter, hearing amplification, special seating, or a place to express milk.

Grand jury service

The court must impanel a grand jury by January 15 each year, and a grand jury serves for one year unless discharged sooner (§ 612-16). Grand jurors are drawn by lot in open court from a separate certified list, and the same qualifications, exemptions and pay apply. Grand jury information isn't posted on eJuror; follow your summons and call the court listed on it.

Jury duty scams

The Judiciary warns about calls, emails and texts claiming you have an outstanding summons or bench warrant for missing jury duty. Scammers may cite badge numbers, real officers' names and spoofed government phone numbers. The courts say staff don't contact you to demand personal or financial information, immediate payment by gift card, wire transfer, app or cryptocurrency, or a meeting to pay. Generally, it says:

All other communications regarding legal matters are typically handled through the U.S. Postal Service.

If you get such a call, hang up, and report it to your police department, the FBI or the Federal Trade Commission (Hawaii State Judiciary scam alerts; see also the federal courts' juror scam warning).

Recent and pending changes

Act 126 was the Judiciary's own proposal and carried an appropriation of $684,385 for fiscal year 2026-2027. No other jury bills were pending as of November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much does jury duty pay in Hawaii?

Since July 1, 2026, Hawaii pays jurors $50 for each day they attend court, up from $30. You also get the higher of 33 cents a mile or the cost of a bus fare for the round trip. Checks arrive about four to five weeks after each pay period.

Can my employer fire me for jury duty in Hawaii?

No. An employer can't fire, threaten or coerce you because you were summoned or served; violating that rule is a petty misdemeanor. If you're fired, you have 90 days to sue for reinstatement and up to six weeks of lost wages, plus attorney's fees if you win. Your employer doesn't have to pay you while you serve.

How do I get out of jury duty in Hawaii?

You may claim an exemption on your questionnaire if you're 80 or older, breastfeeding, a practicing doctor or dentist, a police officer, firefighter or EMS worker, living more than 70 miles from court, or served within the past year. Otherwise, send the court a signed written request at least two weeks before your date showing serious personal hardship, such as caregiving no one else can cover or a medical condition with a doctor's certificate.

What happens if I miss jury duty in Hawaii?

A juror who fails to appear willfully or without a reasonable excuse may be arrested and punished for contempt. Criminal contempt is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $2,000, though the court can treat it as a petty misdemeanor. The clerk can also put you back in the pool for the next year.

How often can you be called for jury duty in Hawaii?

Hawaii uses a one-day-or-one-trial system: once you've served your day, or finished a trial, you're released for the year. For a year after you serve, in state court or Hawaii's federal court, you can claim an exemption if you're called again.

Is there an age limit for jury duty in Hawaii?

You must be at least 18. There's no upper limit, but anyone 80 or older may claim an exemption by stating their age and marking the exemption on the questionnaire.

Where these rules live

• HRS § 612-4 — Qualification and disqualification
• HRS § 612-6 — Exemptions
• HRS § 612-7 — Excuses for cause
• HRS § 612-8 — Juror pay and mileage
• Act 126 (2026), H.B. 2094 — $50 juror pay
• HRS § 612-19 — Summons and failure to attend
• HRS § 612-22 — One day or one trial
• HRS § 612-25 — Protection of jurors' employment
• HRS § 710-1077 — Criminal contempt of court
• Jury Service Frequently Asked Questions (Hawaii State Judiciary)
• Hawaii Rules of Civil Procedure on this site
• Haw. R. Civ. P. 47 — Jurors
• Law schools in Hawaii