Californians who are 80 or older and have a qualifying medical impairment will soon be able to seek a permanent exemption from jury duty. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1359 on Monday, creating the exemption effective Jan. 1, 2028, and eliminating the need for an accompanying doctor's note, according to CalMatters. The change is not an automatic age exemption; it applies to people who attest that a medical impairment prevents them from serving.
What The New Law Actually Changes
Under the measure, Californians 80 and older could request a permanent exemption by attesting that a medical impairment makes them incapable of serving, according to Digital Democracy and rwcpulse.com. The request would not require additional medical documentation or a provider's note. People who remain able and willing to serve could still do so.
That marks a real shift from how things work now. California currently has no blanket age exemption for jury service, and while residents 70 and older can be excused for a medical impairment without a doctor's note, that excuse is only good once. The same report notes that residents must repeat the process, submitting a written excuse to their local jury office, every single time they're summoned again.
A Cupertino Lawmaker's Fix For a Repetitive Process
What the Numbers Show About Jury Service
Santa Clara County had an estimated population of 1,930,033 on July 1, 2025, according to the California Department of Finance. The estimate provides local population context for the law, but the cited figure does not identify how many county residents are 80 or older or how many in that age group have disabilities. Statewide, a 2022 Judicial Council of California workgroup report said more than 4 million people complete jury service each year, including prospective jurors, people on standby and sworn jurors. That figure describes participation across several stages of jury service; it does not provide a statewide rate for summonses that are excused or deferred.
The bill's author, Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens, a Cupertino Democrat, said the measure was intended to eliminate repeated exemption requests for seniors who genuinely cannot serve. LAist reported that supporters viewed the recurring paperwork and explanations as an unnecessary burden for older people and their families.
The legislation therefore changes the administrative path for qualifying residents: after the law takes effect, an eligible person can seek a permanent exemption through an attestation rather than repeatedly obtaining a one-time excuse. The measure does not prevent older Californians who are able and willing to serve from participating.
Why Advocates Point To Alzheimer's And Aging Trends
LAist reports the new law would especially benefit people living with Alzheimer's disease who don't have a caretaker to help them navigate the exemption process. That population is far from small: a 2025 Public Policy Institute of California report found that a third of adults over 80 will have difficulty staying home without assistance, and one in five will experience self-care limitations, according to the same rwcpulse.com report.
Those figures provide context for why a one-time exemption process could create a recurring burden for some older Californians and their families.
How California's New Threshold Compares Nationally
California's new permanent exemption, by contrast, applies to residents 80 and older who attest to a qualifying medical impairment. The temporary, doctor's-note-free excuse remains available to residents 70 and older.
