New moms will no longer need to report for jury duty in Florida

New mothers will no longer have to report for jury duty in Florida, thanks to a bill signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday.

HB 461 creates a new excusal for women who recently gave birth. The law is set to take effect on July 1.

In order to qualify for this excusal, a woman must have given birth within six months before the reporting date. The new mom will need to request to be exempt from jury service.

The Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers has general jury service details listed on its website.

How are jurors selected?

Jurors are selected randomly under Florida state law. They are pulled from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles records, through driver's license or ID cards.

Each juror must be 18 years old, U.S. citizen or legal resident of Florida, and a resident of the county where you are being summoned.

Who is not allowed?

There are certain people who are automatically disqualified from serving on a jury. One of the most obvious would be anyone who has an interest in the issue that is on trial.

Other people who are immediately ineligible are the governor, the governor's cabinet, the clerks of court, judges, felons as well as anyone under prosecution.

Who else can be excused from jury service?

You can be excused from your jury service if you meet any of the following criteria:

• You are a full-time federal, state or local law enforcement or investigator
• You are pregnant
• You are a parent who does not have a full-time job and are caring for a child of a child under 6 years old
• You are 70 years old and above. In these situations, you can request to be permanently excused from jury duty.
• You are a caretaker for someone who cannot care for themselves “because of mental illness, intellectual disability, senility, or other physical or mental incapacity.
• You can request to be excused if you “can demonstrate hardship, extreme inconvenience or public necessity.”

A person who is summoned and has reported as a prospective juror is exempt from jury service for one year.

A judge can also decide to dismiss an attorney, doctor or someone with a physical disability.

What is the compensation for jury service?

If you are regularly employed and receive regular wages while serving as a juror, you are not entitled to be paid for the first three days of your service. If you are not regularly employed or you don't receive regular wages during your service, you will be compensated at the rate of $15 per day for the first three days of service

Each juror who serves more than three days is entitled to be paid $30 per day for the fourth day of service and each day thereafter.

This information can be found on the Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers jury duty page.