Newsom signs law to let these Californians get out of jury duty — for good

Starting Jan. 1, 2028, Californians ages 80 and older can opt-out of jury service permanently due to a medical condition, without needing a note from a health care provider.

The change comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1359 on Monday, which enables seniors to request a permanent exemption by attesting that they have an impairment that renders them incapable of performing jury service. Further medical documentation will not be required. Seniors who still want to serve on a jury can still do so.

Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens, a Cupertino Democrat, said he introduced the bill after a constituent — Dianne McKenna, a former Santa Clara County supervisor — relayed to Ahrens the difficulties she faced helping her elderly husband get an exemption from jury service.

“Seniors are great jurists that can and will continue to serve if they’re willing and able to,” said Ahrens in an email to CalMatters. “But if they cannot, they will no longer have to jump through hoops to permanently opt out.”

Unlike some other states including Florida and Texas, California doesn’t have a blanket age of exemption for jury service. It’s 70 in Florida and 75 in Texas.

Californians 70 years and older can be excused due to a medical impairment without a doctor’s note, but they still must inform the local jury’s office that they’re unable to serve with a written excuse. But under current law, this is a one-time exemption and residents must repeat this process each time they’re selected for service.

Proponents of the measure argue that repeatedly seeking exemption can put significant stress on older individuals — particularly those with mobility issues and chronic health conditions, or those who don’t have regular access to a computer or internet. A third of adults over 80 will have difficulties staying home without assistance, and one in five will experience self-care limitations, according to a 2025 report by the Public Policy Institute of California.

The measure would be especially beneficial for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and do not have a caretaker who can assist them, said Andrew Mendoza, the director of state affairs for the Alzheimer's Association, during a June hearing.

“This bill can assist vulnerable populations avoid what would otherwise be a stressful process to obtain documents and explain their condition as a disability during a time of great circumstantial change,” he said.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.