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Juries Act 1981

Jury lists and panels

16: Judge's discretion to excuse from jury service on particular occasion

You could also call this:

"A Judge can excuse you from jury service on a particular day for a good reason."

Illustration for Juries Act 1981

A Judge can let you off jury service on a particular day. You can ask the Judge to excuse you, or someone can ask for you. The Judge might agree if you are involved in the case or know someone who is. The Judge can also excuse you if they think you should have been excused under section 15. This can happen even if someone else did not agree to excuse you before. You can also be excused if you object to jury service because of your conscience. The Judge's decision is final. You might be excused if you were summoned for just one trial and the Judge thinks you are too close to the case. You can be excused if you think serving on a jury would be a problem for you.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM44808.

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16Judge's discretion to excuse from jury service on particular occasion

  1. A Judge may in accordance with this section excuse a person summoned to attend as a juror on any occasion in the court in which the Judge sits from attending on that occasion.

  2. The person may be excused only on an application for the purpose made by or on behalf of the person.

  3. The Judge may excuse the person from attending on that occasion if—

  4. the panel that was used in summoning the person to attend as a juror has been compiled in respect of 1 trial only; and
    1. the Judge is satisfied that the person is personally concerned in the facts of the case, or is closely connected with one of the parties or with one of the prospective witnesses.

      1. The Judge may excuse the person from attending on that occasion if satisfied of either of the following:

      2. a ground on which the Registrar could have excused that person under section 15; or
        1. that the person objects to jury service on grounds of conscience, whether or not of a religious character.

          1. Subsection (4)(a) applies whether or not the Registrar has declined to do either or both of the following:

          2. permit the person to defer jury service under section 14B:
            1. excuse the person from attending as a juror (whether on that occasion, or in any court on any occasion) under section 15 or 15A.

              Notes
              • Section 16: replaced, on , by section 11 of the Juries (Jury Service and Protection of Particulars of Jury List Information) Amendment Act 2012 (2012 No 75).