(a) Notwithstanding any of the foregoing provisions, individuals scheduled to appear for jury service may request a postponement of the date of their initial appearance for jury service. When requested, postponements shall be granted by the jury coordinator; provided, that:
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 22-2-315
Juror: A person who is on the jury.
Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
(1) The juror has not previously been granted a postponement;(2) The prospective juror appears in person or contacts the jury coordinator by telephone, electronic mail, facsimile, or in writing to request a postponement; and(3) Prior to the grant of a postponement and with the concurrence of the jury coordinator, the prospective juror fixes a date certain on which the juror will appear for jury service within twelve (12) months after the date on which the prospective juror originally was called to serve and on which date the court will be in session.(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), if a judge holding court in the county finds good cause to postpone the jury service term for a juror, the judge shall notify the juror and the jury coordinator in writing designating an alternate date to which the juror’s service is postponed.(c) A subsequent request to postpone jury service may be approved by a judge only on the basis of an extraordinary event, such as a death in the prospective juror’s family, sudden grave illness or a natural disaster or national emergency in which the prospective juror is personally involved, that could not have been anticipated at the time the initial postponement was granted. Prior to the grant of a second postponement, the prospective juror must fix a date certain on which the juror will appear for jury service within twelve (12) months of the postponement and on which date the court will be in session.(d) A juror who is granted a postponement pursuant to this section shall remain under summons to appear on the alternate date without the necessity of the issuance of a new summons; however, the jury coordinator may, at the coordinator’s discretion, issue a new summons.(e) The jury coordinator shall maintain a list of members of the jury pool whose service was postponed pursuant to this section, and that information shall be made available upon request.
