(1) Existing law provides that an eligible person may be excused from jury service only for undue hardship, upon themselves or upon the public, as defined by the Judicial Council.
This bill would require the Judicial Council to adopt a rule of court to specifically allow the mother of a breast-fed child to postpone jury duty for a period of one year providing that all steps should be taken to eliminate the need for the mother to physically appear in court to make this request, and providing that at the end of the one-year period jury duty may be further postponed upon written request by the mother of a breast-fed child.
(2) Existing law specifies the required contents of a jury summons.
This bill would require the Judicial Council to adopt a standardized jury summons for use, with appropriate modifications, around the state, that is understandable and has consumer appeal. The standardized jury summons would be required to include a specific reference to the rules for breast-feeding mothers. The use of the standardized summons would be voluntary, unless otherwise prescribed by the rules of court.