Mont. Code Ann. » TITLE 3. JUDICIARY, COURTS · CHAPTER 15. JURIES AND JURORS · Part 3. Jurors -- Competency and Excuses
Montana Code Annotated

Mont. Code Ann. § 3-15-313 (2026)

Who May Be Excused -- Affidavit To Claim Excuse -- Permanent Exclusion For Chronically Incapacitated

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  1. MCA Contents
  2. TITLE 3
  3. CHAPTER 15
  4. Part 3
  5. 3-15-313 Who may be excused -- affidavit to claim excuse -- permanent exclusion for chronically incapacitated

TITLE 3. JUDICIARY, COURTS

CHAPTER 15. JURIES AND JURORS

Part 3. Jurors -- Competency and Excuses

Who May Be Excused -- Affidavit To Claim Excuse -- Permanent Exclusion For Chronically Incapacitated

3-15-313. Who may be excused -- affidavit to claim excuse -- permanent exclusion for chronically incapacitated. (1) The court or the jury commissioner with the approval of the court shall excuse a person from jury service on finding that jury service would entail undue hardship for the person, a dependent of the person, or the public served by the person. An excuse may be granted if the prospective juror is a breastfeeding mother or otherwise has a personal obligation to provide actual and necessary care to another, including a sick, aged, or special needs dependent who requires the prospective juror's personal care and attention, and comparable substitute care is either unavailable or impractical without imposing an undue economic hardship on the prospective juror or dependent person.

(2) If a person believes jury service would entail undue hardship for the person, a dependent of the person, or the public served by the person, the person may make and transmit an affidavit to the jury commissioner for which the person is summoned, stating the person's occupation or other facts that the person believes will excuse the person from jury service. The affidavit must be filed with the jury commissioner, who shall transmit it to the court. The court or the jury commissioner with the approval of the court shall excuse a prospective juror from jury service if the prospective juror satisfies the provisions of subsection (1).

(3) A person who is chronically incapacitated by illness or injury may request a permanent exclusion from jury service by making and transmitting an affidavit to the jury commissioner of the person's place of residence. The affidavit must include a certification by the person's physician that the person is chronically incapacitated by illness or injury. The affidavit must be filed with the jury commissioner, who shall transmit it to the court. The court or jury commissioner with the approval of the court may permanently excuse a prospective juror from jury service if the prospective juror satisfies the provisions of this subsection (3).

(4) For the purposes of subsection (3), a person is chronically incapacitated if the person has a condition due to an illness or injury that restricts the person's ability to leave the person's place of residence without the aid of supportive devices, such as crutches, a cane, a wheelchair, or a walker, that restricts the person's ability to leave home without the use of special transportation or the assistance of another person, or that causes leaving home to be medically contraindicated. Examples of factors to be taken into account in determining whether chronic incapacitation exists include but are not limited to the following:

(a) paralysis by a stroke or other cause;

(b) blindness;

(c) senility;

(d) loss of the use of a person's extremities requiring the assistance of another in leaving the person's place of residence;

(e) arteriosclerotic heart disease of such severity that a person is required to avoid all stress and physical activity; or

(f) a psychiatric problem if the illness is manifested in part by a refusal to leave home or is of such a nature that it would not be considered safe for the person to leave home unattended, even if there are no physical limitations.

(5) On the request of a person who is 75 years of age or older, the court or the jury commissioner shall excuse the person from jury service.

History: En. Sec. 233, C. Civ. Proc. 1895; re-en. Sec. 6340, Rev. C. 1907; re-en. Sec. 8894, R.C.M. 1921; Cal. C. Civ. Proc. Sec. 201; re-en. Sec. 8894, R.C.M. 1935; amd. Sec. 8, Ch. 203, L. 1939; R.C.M. 1947, 93-1305; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 51, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 379, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 345, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 167, L. 2009; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 175, L. 2025.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 7 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1985–2022 · leading case: Tribby v. Nw. Bank of Great Falls, 704 P.2d 409 (Mont. 1985).
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Tribby v. Nw. Bank of Great Falls, 704 P.2d 409 (Mont. 1985). · cites it 12× “Section 3-15-313, MCA, allows the court, or jury commissioner (here the clerk) with the approval of the court, to excuse prospective jurors if jury service would entail undue hardship.”
State v. Robbins, 1998 MT 297, 971 P.2d 359. · cites it 12× “” Section 3-15-313(1), MCA. In essence, Robbins is arguing that the telephone method employed by the clerk resulted in the clerk herself excusing jurors without the “approval of the court.”
State v. Henry, 788 P.2d 316 (Mont. 1990). · cites it 9× “Section 3-15-313, MCA, provides that “(1) The court or jury commissioner with the approval of the court shall excuse a person from jury service upon finding that jury service would entail undue hardship for the person or the public served by the person.”
State v. Neal E. Fehringer, 2013 MT 10, 293 P.3d 853. · cites it 9× “He does not complain that any particular juror who heard his case was not qualified to serve or should have been excused, and he does not complain that he failed to receive a fair trial from the jury.”
State v. W. Hesse, 2022 MT 212, 519 P.3d 462. · cites it 8× “Courts and jury commissioners must substantially comply with jury-selection procedures because the procedures are rooted in the constitutional right to a trial by an impartial jury. LaMere, ¶ 32. The purpose of the statutes is to eliminate arbitrariness in the jury-selection…”
State v. W. Hesse, 2022 MT 212, 519 P.3d 462. · cites it 8× “Courts and jury commissioners must substantially comply with jury-selection procedures because the procedures are rooted in the constitutional right to a trial by an impartial jury. LaMere, ¶ 32. The purpose of the statutes is to eliminate arbitrariness in the jury-selection…”
State v. W. Hesse, 2022 MT 212, 519 P.3d 462. · cites it 8× “Courts and jury commissioners must substantially comply with jury-selection procedures because the procedures are rooted in the constitutional right to a trial by an impartial jury. LaMere, ¶ 32. The purpose of the statutes is to eliminate arbitrariness in the jury-selection…”
Mont. Code Ann. § 3-15-313(1): 6 cases
State v. Robbins, 1998 MT 297, 971 P.2d 359. “” Section 3-15-313(1), MCA. In essence, Robbins is arguing that the telephone method employed by the clerk resulted in the clerk herself excusing jurors without the “approval of the court.”
State v. Henry, 788 P.2d 316 (Mont. 1990). “Section 3-15-313, MCA, provides that “(1) The court or jury commissioner with the approval of the court shall excuse a person from jury service upon finding that jury service would entail undue hardship for the person or the public served by the person.”
State v. Neal E. Fehringer, 2013 MT 10, 293 P.3d 853. “He does not complain that any particular juror who heard his case was not qualified to serve or should have been excused, and he does not complain that he failed to receive a fair trial from the jury.”
State v. W. Hesse, 2022 MT 212, 519 P.3d 462. “Courts and jury commissioners must substantially comply with jury-selection procedures because the procedures are rooted in the constitutional right to a trial by an impartial jury. LaMere, ¶ 32. The purpose of the statutes is to eliminate arbitrariness in the jury-selection…”
State v. W. Hesse, 2022 MT 212, 519 P.3d 462. “Courts and jury commissioners must substantially comply with jury-selection procedures because the procedures are rooted in the constitutional right to a trial by an impartial jury. LaMere, ¶ 32. The purpose of the statutes is to eliminate arbitrariness in the jury-selection…”
Mont. Code Ann. § 3-15-313(2): 4 cases
State v. Henry, 788 P.2d 316 (Mont. 1990). “Section 3-15-313, MCA, provides that “(1) The court or jury commissioner with the approval of the court shall excuse a person from jury service upon finding that jury service would entail undue hardship for the person or the public served by the person.”
State v. W. Hesse, 2022 MT 212, 519 P.3d 462. “Courts and jury commissioners must substantially comply with jury-selection procedures because the procedures are rooted in the constitutional right to a trial by an impartial jury. LaMere, ¶ 32. The purpose of the statutes is to eliminate arbitrariness in the jury-selection…”
State v. W. Hesse, 2022 MT 212, 519 P.3d 462. “Courts and jury commissioners must substantially comply with jury-selection procedures because the procedures are rooted in the constitutional right to a trial by an impartial jury. LaMere, ¶ 32. The purpose of the statutes is to eliminate arbitrariness in the jury-selection…”
State v. W. Hesse, 2022 MT 212, 519 P.3d 462. “Courts and jury commissioners must substantially comply with jury-selection procedures because the procedures are rooted in the constitutional right to a trial by an impartial jury. LaMere, ¶ 32. The purpose of the statutes is to eliminate arbitrariness in the jury-selection…”
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