Section 2313.15. Juror may be discharged or have service postponed or excused

A juror may request at least two business days before the juror's initial appearance by telephone, in writing, or by electronic mail, and the judge of the court of common pleas of a county, the commissioners of jurors, or the appropriate court employee shall grant, a postponement of the juror's initial appearance for jury duty if both of the following apply:

(1) The juror has not previously been granted a postponement.

(2) The juror and the appropriate court employee appointed by the court agree to a specified date on which the juror will appear for jury service. The specified date shall be one on which the court is in session and, unless extraordinary circumstances exist, that is within the jury year and not more than six months after the date for which the juror was originally called to serve. If extraordinary circumstances exist, the court may, at the court's discretion, specify a date on which the juror will appear for jury service that is more than six months after the date for which the juror was originally called to serve.

(B) The court of common pleas of a county may grant a second or subsequent postponement of jury service to a juror only in the event of an extreme emergency, such as a death in the juror's family, a sudden illness of the juror, or a natural disaster or national emergency in which the juror is personally involved, that could not have been anticipated at the time the initial postponement was granted. Before receiving a second or subsequent postponement, the juror shall agree to a specified date on which the juror will appear for jury service. The specified date shall be one on which the court is in session and that is not more than six months after the date of the postponement.

(C) After a juror appears for jury duty, the court of common pleas of a county may postpone the juror's service at that term of court for not more than three days at a time if the exigencies of the juror's business require the juror's temporary excuse.

(D) The court of common pleas of a county, or a judge of the court of common pleas of a county, may excuse until a specified date one or more jurors summoned for jury duty whose attendance is not required for the trial of issues until that day. Each juror excused until a specified date may be required to attend the opening of court on that day and on each day after that day until the juror is discharged, without additional summons from the court.

(E) The court of common pleas of a county or a judge of the court of common pleas of a county shall automatically postpone and reschedule to a mutually agreeable date not more than six months from the date of the summons the service of a summoned juror of an employer with twenty-five or fewer full-time employees, or their equivalent, if another employee of the employer has previously been summoned to appear and served as a juror within thirty days prior to the date on which that juror has been summoned and if that employee or employee demonstrates to the satisfaction of the court that the other employee was so summoned and did serve and that the employer has twenty-five or fewer full-time employees or their equivalent.

Renumbered from § 2313.13 and amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.81, HB 268, §1, eff. 5/22/2012.