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SB106 • 2026

Jury service; individuals 80 years of age or older exempt from service upon request

Jury service; individuals 80 years of age or older exempt from service upon request

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Butler (T)
Last action
2026-04-22
Official status
Enacted
Effective date
2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on whether courts must grant exemptions automatically, so this claim was removed.

Jury Service Exemption for Older Adults

This law allows people who are 80 years old or older to ask the court not to serve on a jury, and if they do, the court will remove their name from the list of potential jurors.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows individuals aged 80 or older to submit a written request to the court for permanent exemption from jury service.
  • Requires courts to remove people who request an exemption from the master jury list.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People aged 80 or older who are called for jury service
  • Courts that handle jury duty requests

Terms To Know

Jury Service
The process of being selected and serving on a jury in court cases.
Master Jury List
A list maintained by the courts that includes all eligible people who can be called for jury duty.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law does not specify what happens if someone under 80 requests an exemption.
  • It is unclear how many older adults will choose to request exemptions from jury service.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-22 Senate

    Enacted

  2. 2026-04-08 House

    Signature Requested

  3. 2026-04-08 Senate

    Delivered to Governor

  4. 2026-04-08 Senate

    Enrolled

  5. 2026-04-08 Senate

    Ready to Enroll

  6. 2026-04-07 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1231 (Yeas 105, Nays 0)

  7. 2026-04-07 House

    Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 105, Nays 0)

  8. 2026-03-11 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  9. 2026-03-11 House

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  10. 2026-02-24 Senate

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 566 (Yeas 33, Nays 0)

  11. 2026-02-24 Senate

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 33, Nays 0)

  12. 2026-02-24 House

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  13. 2026-02-24 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary

  14. 2026-02-12 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  15. 2026-02-11 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  16. 2026-01-13 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  17. 2026-01-13 Senate

    Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary

Official Summary Text

This act amends Section 12-16-62, Code of Alabama 1975, to: (1) authorize individuals 80 years of age or older to submit a written request to the court to be permanently exempted from jury service; and (2) require the court to remove the prospective juror from the master jury list.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
SB106 ENROLLED
Page 0
SB106
EJ7IG99-2
By Senators Butler, Barfoot, Melson, Livingston, Stutts,
Weaver, Givhan, Price
RFD: Judiciary
First Read: 13-Jan-26
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SB106 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 13-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to jury service; to amend Section 12-16-62,
Code of Alabama 1975; to allow individuals 80 years of age or
older to request a permanent exemption from jury service.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 12-16-62, Code of Alabama 1975, is
amended to read as follows:
"§12-16-62
No qualified prospective juror is exempt from jury
service , except as provided in subsection (b) .
(b) An individual who is 80 years of age or older may
submit a written statement to the court requesting that he or
she be permanently exempt from jury service. On receipt of the
request, the court shall remove the prospective juror from the
master jury list. "
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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SB106 Enrolled
Page 2
1, 2026.
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
SB106
Senate 24-Feb-26
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
the Senate.
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
House of Representatives
Passed: 07-Apr-26
By: Senator Butler
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