What Happens If You Skip Jury Duty In Texas?

I'm 33 years old and have never been summoned for jury duty. I hear my friends complain about it from time to time. It doesn't seem like it's the most exciting thing in the world to most people. I personally think it might actually be sort of interesting, and I'm still hoping that one day I'll get a summons in the mail. Until then, let's find out how much trouble you can get into if you actually skip out on jury duty altogether.

What happens if I skip jury duty in Texas?

If you make up a fake excuse to get out of it or fail to answer your jury duty summons, Texas can charge you with contempt of court. This carries a fine of anywhere between $100 and $1000.

Excuses to miss jury duty that are permissible include the following:

- Mental or physical impairment

- Not speaking English

- Religious holidays

- You are over the age of 70

- You have a child under the age of 12 that you must care for at home

- You are a student enrolled at a secondary school

- You are taking higher education classes and need to be present for class

- You have a job with the legislative branch of the government

- You are the primary caretaker of someone that is disabled

- Serving as a member of the jury would cause you hardship

So, make sure you take your jury summons seriously unless you've got a legitimate excuse! And, fingers crossed that I get summoned sometime! Until then, I'll just be watching true crime documentaries at home.