Title: Persons Excused from Jury Service

Summary: Expanding parental eligibility to be excused from jury service; authorizing a presiding judge to excuse a practicing psychologist from jury service, etc.

Full Text:
An act relating to persons excused from jury service; amending s. 40.013, F.S.; expanding parental eligibility to be excused from jury service; authorizing a presiding judge to excuse a practicing psychologist from jury service; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Subsections (4) and (5) of section 40.013, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 40.013 Persons disqualified or excused from jury service.  (4) Any expectant mother,any mother who is breastfeeding a child under years of age, and any parent who is not employed full time and who has custody of a child under years of age, upon request, shall be excused from jury service. (5) A presiding judge may,in his or her discretion, excuse a practicing attorney, a practicing physician, a practicing psychologist, or a person who is physically infirm from jury service, except that a no person may not shall be excused from service on a civil trial jury solely on the basis that the person is deaf or hearing impaired, if that person wishes to serve, unless the presiding judge makes a finding that consideration of the evidence to be presented requires auditory discrimination or that the timely progression of the trial will be considerably affected thereby. However, nothing in this subsection does not shall affect a litigant s right to exercise a peremptory challenge. Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.