Bill > A2162

This bill amends existing New Jersey law (N.J.S.2B:20-10) to create a new specific reason for being excused from jury duty, which is a legal obligation to serve on a jury when summoned. Currently, individuals can be excused from jury service for several reasons, including being 75 or older, having served on a jury recently, or if jury service would cause severe hardship due to specific circumstances like a medical inability, severe financial hardship, or having a personal obligation to care for another. This bill adds a new category under personal obligations: a mother who is nursing or expressing milk for her child who is one year of age or younger. This provision aims to provide an exemption for nursing mothers, recognizing the unique needs of caring for an infant, and will take effect immediately for jurors selected on or after that date.