Section 22. Jury Duty
The responsible administrator for this section is the Office of General Counsel. The Office of General Counsel has approval authority.
Amherst College students are often asked to serve on various juries within Hampshire County. Although many students are not registered voters in Massachusetts, jury eligibility is determined by period of residency within Hampshire County, and all Amherst students are eligible to be called. The call to jury duty includes the opportunity for one postponement of the server’s choice. Many students elect to serve their jury duty at the beginning of a vacation or break period. A student who is called to jury duty and must miss class as a result is encouraged to notify their class dean, who will in turn notify the student’s instructors. Generally, if students are called to jury duty, it is not possible to be exempted. However, in Massachusetts, if a student has served jury duty in their home state within the last 3 years, whether impaneled on a jury or not, that student can be disqualified from juror service by submitting a copy of their service certificate. Students can mail or fax their service certificates to:
Office of Jury Commissioner
560 Harrison Avenue, Suite 600
Boston, Massachusetts, 02118