Jury Duty and Civic Leave Policy template
Paid/unpaid leave for jury duty, witness testimony, and voting where state law requires.
- Jury Systems Improvement Act (28 USC §1875: federal employer retaliation prohibited)
- state jury-duty pay statutes (AL, CO, CT, DC, LA, MA, NE, NJ, NY, OH, TN et al.)
- state voting-leave laws (~30 states)
- various subpoena/witness leave provisions
What the policy covers
- 1. JURY DUTYEmployees called for jury duty in federal or state court are granted unpaid leave for the full duration of the duty, with job protection.
- PAID JURY-DUTY DAYSIn states that mandate employer-paid jury duty (AL, CO, CT, DC, LA, MA, NE, NJ, NY, OH, TN and others: check current local law), your company pays the employee their regular wages
- 2. WITNESS DUTY / SUBPOENAEmployees subpoenaed to testify in a court proceeding (not as a defendant in their own criminal matter, not as a plaintiff in their own civil matter, and not as a defendant party)
- 3. VOTING LEAVEIn states that require employer-provided voting leave (CA, NY, IL, CO, MD, MA, TN, AZ, OH and others), the legally required time is provided: typically up to 2-3 paid hours where t
- 4. CIVIC EMERGENCY SERVICEVolunteer firefighters, EMTs, and disaster service volunteers who respond to an emergency in declared response capacity may be granted unpaid leave consistent with applicable state
- 5. MILITARY LEAVEMilitary leave is governed by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and is covered in a separate Military Leave Policy.
- 6. NO RETALIATIONTermination, demotion, or other adverse action because of jury, witness, voting, or military service is prohibited under federal and state law and a serious violation of this polic
Who needs it
Any employer running schedule, leave and the day-to-day of employing people. These set out the rules once so nobody argues about them twice.
Questions people ask
Is a jury duty and civic leave policy a legal requirement?
It rests on Jury Systems Improvement Act (28 USC §1875: federal employer retaliation prohibited) and state jury-duty pay statutes (AL, CO, CT, DC, LA, MA, NE, NJ, NY, OH, TN et al.) and state voting-leave laws (~30 states) and various subpoena/witness leave provisions. Some policies must be written down once a business reaches a certain size or does certain work; others are simply how a tribunal, an inspector or an auditor expects to see that you have thought about it. A clear, dated, signed policy is the evidence either way. Guidance, not legal advice.
Can I change it to suit how we work?
Yes. Inside Work-Lynx it is a starting point: put your company name in, adjust the arrangements to what you actually do, set the review date and publish it. Staff read and acknowledge it on their phones, and you can see who has not.
Is it up to date?
Last reviewed April 2026. The pack is updated when the law moves, and every policy carries a review date so it does not quietly go stale.
How do I get it?
It is preloaded in Work-Lynx with the other 28 policies for the US. Work-Lynx is $3 plus $1.25 per employee, 14 days free, no card, and what you see on the pricing page is the bill.
Who is it for?
Any employer running schedule, leave and the day-to-day of employing people. These set out the rules once so nobody argues about them twice.
All 29 US policies, $3 a month
This policy and 28 others are already in Work-Lynx, alongside GPS clock-in, schedules, timesheets, PTO and an employment-question advisor. $3 base plus $1.25 per employee a month. 14 days free, no card, no sales call.
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