Sponsors
The bill makes it easier and clearer for breastfeeding people to be excused from federal jury duty—reducing health and childcare burdens—while imposing modest administrative costs on courts and a small risk of reduced jury availability that could delay proceedings.
Breastfeeding individuals summoned for federal jury service can request excusal, reducing childcare and lactation-related health burdens while serving.
Makes the jury-exemption policy for breastfeeding people explicit, creating clearer, more uniform accommodation and reducing administrative uncertainty for courts and potential jurors.
More people excused from federal jury service could shrink the available jury pool, potentially causing longer wait times, more summonses, or trial scheduling delays for litigants and courts.
Courts will face modest administrative burdens to process exemption requests and update jury-selection procedures, creating extra work for court staff and local administrators.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Introduced March 16, 2026 by Eleanor Holmes Norton · Last progress March 16, 2026
Creates a statutory exemption allowing individuals who are breastfeeding to be excused from federal and D.C. jury service upon request. It adds a new provision to federal jury duty law and amends the D.C. Code to list breastfeeding as an explicit ground for exclusion by the court or authorized clerk.