The first step is to determine whether you are qualified to serve. If you have been a resident of Virginia for 12 months and a resident of Chesapeake for 6 months and you meet all other eligibility requirements, you may be selected by the jury commissioners to serve jury duty. Please note that United States Army, Air Force, or Navy personnel or their spouses are not considered residents of Virginia by reason of being stationed here. You must have declared Virginia as your state of residency in the "SC" block on your military Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) for at least one year to be eligible to serve jury duty.
Do not call the Jury Administrator and ask to be excused from jury service at this time. If you are selected for jury service, the Court will mail you a Summons For Jury Duty approximately 30 days prior to your month of service. At that time, you would contact the Jury Administrator if you are deployed out of the area or you, otherwise, are not available to serve. She will defer your service to a month when you will be available.
If you are asking to be excused from jury service, submit to the Jury Administrator a letter from your commanding officer that states the basis for the request: that such service would unreasonably interfere with the performance of the member's military duties; or would adversely affect the readiness of the unit, command, or activity to which the member is assigned.