Exemptions from Jury Duty 

If you need to be excused from jury duty, you must request it in writing within five (5) business days of receipt of your summons. All correspondence should contain the Jurors Identification Number that appears below the barcode on the summons.
 
Correspondence may be by email circuitcourt@pwcgov.org, fax 703-792-5346 or mail to Jury Clerk, Clerk of Circuit Court, 9311 Lee Ave., Manassas ,VA 20110. Your request will be reviewed and you will be notified of the decision.
 
For the following you can send correspondence or go to the website at https://pwcjury.courts.state.va.us. Log on using your Juror Identification Number (which is printed on the front of your Jury Duty Summons). You can postpone your service to another month for one of the following reasons:
  • care of an invalid
  • financial hardship
  • health/family
  • health/self
  • student
  • temporarily away
  • transportation
  • vacation
  • work hardship
 
Also at https://pwcjury.courts.state.va.us, you can indicate if a person
  • is deceased
  • is a felon
  • no longer resides in the County of Prince William, City of Manassas or City of Manassas Park
  • is over 70 years of age and wants to be excused
     
The Jury Clerk will send you a confirmation letter, fax or e-mail if you are excused from jury service. Otherwise, you need to come to court on the day summoned.
 
If you believe you are exempt or should be excused from Jury Duty, please review the Virginia Code sections below and take action indicated.

§ 8.01-340. No person to serve who has case at that term.
No person shall be admitted to serve as a juror at a term of a court during which he has any matter of controversy which has been or is expected to be tried by a jury during the same term. (Code 1950 § 8-208.5; 1973 c. 439; 1977 c. 617.)
Action: Send an email, letter or fax stating the above with a case number.

§ 8.01-341. Who are exempt from jury service.
The following shall be exempt from serving on juries in civil and criminal cases:
  1. The President and Vice President of the United States
  2. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General of the Commonwealth
  3. The members of both houses of Congress
  4. The members of the General Assembly while in session or during a period when the member would be entitled to a legislative continuance as a matter of right under § 30-5
  5. Licensed practicing attorneys
  6. The judge of any court, members of the State Corporation Commission, members of the Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission and magistrates
  7. Sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, state police and police in counties, cities and towns
  8. The superintendent of the penitentiary and his assistants and the persons composing the guard
  9. Superintendents and jail officers as defined in § 53.1-1 of regional jails.
(Code 1950 § 8-208.6; 1973 c. 439; 1977 cc. 458 617; 1978 cc. 176 340; 1980 c. 535; 1982 c. 315; 1987 c. 256; 1990 c. 758; 1993 c. 572; 1998 c. 83.)
 
Action:  Send an email, letter or fax stating the applicable paragraph.
Note:  Exemption does not apply to a federal law enforcement officer; TSA employee; government attorney who is not licensed; anyone who is retired from a listed occupation; or a relative of one of the listed occupations.
 
§ 8.01-341.1. Exemptions from jury service upon request.
Any of the following persons may serve on juries in civil and criminal cases but shall be exempt from jury service upon his request:
1. through 3. [Repealed.]
4. A mariner actually employed in maritime service.  Action: Send an email, letter or fax stating relevant facts.
5. through 7. [Repealed.]
 
8. A person who has legal custody of and is necessarily and personally responsible for a child or children 16 years of age or younger requiring continuous care by him during normal court hours, or any mother who is breast-feeding a child.  Action: Send an e-mail, letter or fax stating relevant facts.
 
9. A person who is necessarily and personally responsible for a person having a physical or mental impairment requiring continuous care by him during normal court hours.  Action: Send an email, letter or fax stating relevant facts.
 
10. Any person over 70 years of age.  Action: Send an email, letter or fax stating relevant facts. Also can be completed online at https://pwcjury.courts.state.va.us. Log on using your Juror Identification Number, which is printed on the front of your Jury Duty Summons.
 
11. Any person whose spouse is summoned to serve on the same jury panel.  Action: Send an email, letter or fax stating relevant facts.
 
12. Any person who is the only person performing services for a business, commercial or agricultural enterprise and whose services are so essential to the operations of the business, commercial or agricultural enterprise that such enterprise must close or cease to function if such person is required to perform jury duty.
Action: Send a letter, email or fax on letterhead from a principle (not the juror unless sole proprietor) stating facts in #12.
 
13. Any person who is the only person performing services for a political subdivision as a firefighter, as defined in § 65.2-102, and whose services are so essential to the operations of the political subdivision that such political subdivision will suffer an undue hardship in carrying out such services if such person is required to perform jury duty.  Action: Send a letter, email or fax on letterhead from supervisor stating facts in relevant section.
 
14. Any person employed by the Office of the Clerk of the House of Delegates, the Office of the Clerk of the Senate, the Division of Legislative Services, and the Division of Legislative Automated Systems, however, this exemption shall apply only to jury service starting (i) during the period beginning 60 days prior to the day any regular session commences and ending 30 days after the day of adjournment of such session and (ii) during the period beginning seven days prior to the day any reconvened or special session commences and ending seven days after the day of adjournment of such session.  Action: Send a letter, email or fax on letterhead from supervisor stating facts in relevant section.
 
15. Any general registrar, member of a local electoral board, or person appointed or employed by either the general registrar or the local electoral board, except officers of election appointed pursuant to Article 5 (§ 24.2-115 et seq.) of Chapter 1 of Title 24.2; however, this exemption shall apply only to jury service starting (i) during the period beginning 90 days prior to any election and continuing through election day, (ii) during the period to ascertain the results of the election and continuing for 10 days after the local electoral board certifies the results of the election under § 24.2-671 or the State Board of Elections certifies the results of the election under § 24.2-679, or (iii) during the period of an election recount or contested election pursuant to Chapter 8 (§ 24.2-800 et seq.) of Title 24.2. Any officer of election shall be exempt from jury service only on election day and during the periods set forth in clauses (ii) and (iii). Action: Send a letter, email or fax on letterhead from supervisor stating facts in relevant section.
 
(Code 1970, § 8-208.6:1; 1977, c. 458; 1987, c. 256; 1997, c. 693; 1999, c. 153; 2004, c. 106; 2005, c. 195; 2011, cc. 389, 708.)  
 
§ 8.01-341.2. Deferral or limitation of jury service for particular occupational inconvenience.
The court on its own motion may exempt any person from jury service for a particular term of court or limit that person's service to particular dates of that term if serving on a jury during that term or certain dates of that term of court would cause such person a particular occupational inconvenience. Any such person who is selected for jury service and who is exempted under the provisions of this section shall not be discharged from his obligation to serve on a jury but such obligation shall only be deferred until the term of court next after such particular occupational inconvenience shall end.
(1981 c. 108; 1987 c. 155.)
Action:  If juror is out of area for the majority of the month (would miss three or more days of service), send email, letter or fax stating the reason and what months (do not list the next month) would juror be available so that the juror can be rescheduled. This would be the same procedure for a student going to school out of the area. 
Action: If juror would miss one or two days of service, send e-mail, letter or fax stating the reasons. Clerk will consider excusing juror for the one or two days of service.
Note: Clerk confers with Chief Judge on decisions to excuse jurors.

Other Situations
 
Long- term medical issues
Action: A letter mailed or faxed from the physician with the relevant facts of why juror should be excused.
 
Juror believes he or she cannot speak and/or understand English well enough.
Action: Everyone selected is a U.S. citizen and registered voter. Juror will have to report for jury duty. The Court will determine if a person should be excused.
 
In case of a last minute emergency, call the Jury Clerk at 703-792-6047 or email circuitcourt@pwcgov.org.
  
Please notify the Circuit Court Clerk's Office by email if you find that any of the links on this page do not work.