A similar bill passed the Senate in the 2000 Assembly but died without a hearing in Rep. Gross Lindsay s House Judiciary Committee. Focusing on motherhood alone, our society seldom acknowledges its importance. This is just one small way in which we can recognize that the duties of motherhood take precedence over other things.
Jury duty is important, but it can wait because taking care of children is even more important.
Caregivers of children and elderly people have a perspective that is needed on our juries. Therefore they should not be deferred. It is also true that if we start to exempt people for things that they think are important, we will soon have nobody to serve on juries. Many judges already accommodate caregivers who are called for jury service, but the system is not standard from one court jurisdiction to another. If a person is willing to forego a second income in the interest of being a primary caregiver, why should the government demand jury duty when it could be deferred until the child is past the critical years.