In recent months, increasing numbers of those affiliated with Living Church of God have been called for jury duty. Many courts have begun to use drivers’ license data to locate potential jurors instead of voter registration information.
Those who receive a jury summons sometimes ask the Church for assistance in being excused. Regrettably, the Church is generally unable to offer actual legal assistance (since the Church is not in the practice of law), but it can indeed provide support of your request to be excused.
To assist those who receive a summons but wish to refrain from jury duty, the Church has published a Jury Duty Exemption Request form. This form is fairly self-explanatory and includes a “Legal Precedents” section which cites several successful court cases, including one involving a Church of God member, which rose to the U.S. Supreme Court. The form includes supporting references and is available from ministers who pastor Living Church of God congregations. It can also be obtained directly from Church Headquarters.
Should you receive an initial summons to jury duty, and choose to refrain on religious grounds, please contact your pastor (or Headquarters, if this is not possible) to obtain the Exemption Request form. You will need to fill out the top portion of the facing page, and your minister will need to fill out the bottom portion. The form presents your request to be excused on religious grounds, your minister’s verification that you are a member in good standing, and a statement of the Church’s support of your request to be excused on religious grounds.
Your jury duty summons should include a section regarding grounds for excusal. If the summons gives you a place to seek excusal on grounds of religious conviction and/or conscience, fill in that section as the summons instructs. Most commonly there will be no specific mention of religion, and you will need to fill in the section marked “Other.” In that case, write in “Religious Convictions—Please see attached Jury Duty Exemption Request.” The Jury Duty Exemption Request, including all back-up documentation, should be stapled together as one unified enclosure.
Make sure you read your jury summons carefully and comply with all its instructions. It is important that you return the summons promptly and correctly, along with your Jury Duty Exemption Request, if you wish to avoid problems with the court.
If the court denies your first request for excusal (such rejection most often comes from a low-level clerical worker, rather than an actual court clerk or judge), read the denial notice carefully to discern whether it contains any avenue of appeal. Carefully comply with such instructions. When returning any appeal, you should attach another copy of your completed Jury Duty Exemption Request form, since the person reading your appeal may not be the same one who originally denied your request.
If you receive a denial notice containing no avenue of appeal, or an otherwise final denial, you may wish to consider consulting your attorney. If you do not have an attorney, you may wish to contact a legal aid office near you or a lawyer referral service. Such organizations are dedicated to helping people who have legal problems and who need to obtain qualified legal advice or representation.
Though unable to provide legal services, the Church remains committed to supporting members and prospective members who choose not to serve on a jury for religious reasons. It will do so by providing relevant information at its disposal, documentation of its beliefs, and verification of an individual’s membership status or such other information that it may reasonably provide—in addition to any applicable spiritual counseling by its ministry.
How should one feel about approaching a court to exercise one’s legal rights?
It is true that when the Bible mentions court action, it does so mostly in a negative light. The Apostle Paul rebuked the Corinthians for going to court to settle differences between brethren (1 Corinthians 6:1–6).
Yet Paul himself asserted his rights as a citizen of Rome (Acts 22:25–29)! Therefore, disputes involving your rights as a citizen, with those who are not members of God’s Church, must be settled outside the Church. In the world, that usually occurs in a court of law. Paul, in Romans 13, showed that God has allowed the governments of this world to maintain law and order and to punish crime. Matters involving the laws of this world, therefore, can be settled in the world’s courts. It is not wrong to use the protection of the law. Certainly, one ought to pray wholeheartedly for God’s help in resolving difficulties peaceably. And one should always remember that God offers wisdom and guidance to those who seek Him and obey His commandments (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; James 1:5–7).