Californians age 80 and older will soon be able to say goodbye to jury duty for good, thanks to a new state law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2028, seniors in this age group will be allowed to request a permanent exemption from jury service due to a medical condition, without having to provide a note from a doctor. The measure, Assembly Bill 1359, simply requires older adults to attest that a health impairment prevents them from serving. Those who still wish to participate in jury duty will remain free to do so.
The bill’s author, Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens, a Cupertino Democrat, said the idea grew out of a conversation with a constituent, former Santa Clara County Supervisor Dianne McKenna, who described the difficulty she faced trying to secure a jury exemption for her elderly husband.
“Seniors are great jurors who can and will continue to serve if they’re willing and able to,” Ahrens said in a statement. “But if they cannot, they will no longer have to jump through hoops to permanently opt out.”
California has traditionally taken a more flexible approach to age-related jury exemptions than some other states. Florida, for example, allows residents 70 and older to opt out entirely, while Texas sets the threshold at 75. California has no blanket age cutoff, though residents 70 and older can already be excused for medical reasons without a doctor’s note. The catch is that current law requires them to file that request every single time they’re summoned — a process advocates say can be exhausting for older residents, especially those managing chronic illness, limited mobility or lack of internet access.
According to a 2025 report from the Public Policy Institute of California, about a third of adults over 80 have difficulty living independently without some form of assistance, and roughly one in five experience limitations with basic self-care. Supporters of the new law say those realities make repeated jury summons unnecessarily burdensome for many elderly Californians.
The change is expected to be particularly helpful for people living with Alzheimer’s disease who lack a caregiver to help them navigate the paperwork, said Andrew Mendoza, director of state affairs for the Alzheimer’s Association, during a legislative hearing in June.
“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,” Mendoza said.
The law takes effect in just over two years, giving county court systems time to update their procedures for handling exemption requests from older residents across the state.
Original source: CalMatters
