Should I postpone my jury duty?
I’m in Monroe County, NY and just got summoned for jury duty with 5 business days of standby starting July 16, and my number is 73. I have a short trip planned from July 24–27, and I’m trying to figure out whether I should postpone or just go through with it. From what I understand, if I get called in even once and get dismissed the same day, my service is considered complete and I don’t have to keep calling in. But if I get selected for a trial, I’d have to serve until the trial ends, even if it goes past the standby window. My concern is whether it’s realistically possible to get selected for a trial late in the standby period (like July 21–22) that could run into July 24 or 27 and interfere with my trip. I’ve heard judges usually excuse people with pre‑planned travel, but I’m not sure how often trials actually run long enough to cause a conflict. Should I postpone to avoid any chance of overlap, or is the risk small enough that I shouldn’t worry? I don’t mind doing my civic duty, I’m just trying to avoid potential issues with travel plans that were confirmed months in advance. I’ve never had to report for jury duty before so this is all new to me.
UPDATE: I was able to get it rescheduled for the first week of November.