I have 2 boys under the age of 15. I am the one who takes them to school, picks them up after school, feeds them, and helps them with the homework. My wife has a full time job and I have a home based business that let's me stay home in order to take care of my kids. I have had this home based business for years and every time that they send me a jury summons I always claim the Texas Exemption which is:

"I have legal Custody of a child under 15 years of age, and have the care, custody and control of the child during the work day. If called to jury service, the child would be left without adequate supervision"

Every year they accept my exemption except for this year. This year they told me the following:
"Your request was disapproved because you are employed and your children are in school during the time in which you are being summonsed. You will have the opportunity to bring up any concerns on the day of your jury service. "

I contacted the Jury Hall Office Manager and he told me that since I am employed I cannot claim this exemption and that I had to go to jury duty. I told them that if I am picked for jury duty, my wife would have to take vacation in order for someone to take care of my kids.

My question to anyone who can answer it, is it true that I cannot claim this exemption because I am employed? Why can't they just approve my exemption instead of making me drive all the way there and have to explain to the judge. I do not mind being picked for jury duty if I my kids were bigger but at this moment there is no one to take care of them during the day. Thanks to whomever answers my question.

The court is going to see it like this:

You either (a) have care, custody, and control of the kids, and are devoted to those activities, or, (b) you are working, at home or elsewhere. You can't be doing BOTH at the same time.

"Under 15" is a broad range. Exactly HOW old are the children in question?

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My kids are 6 and 11 years old. The nature of my business is being a google advertiser and webpage designer. I just felt that the office manager could have excused me from jury duty since I do take care of my kids, but when he said that by law I could not use that exemption, I thought that he may have lied to me and that is why I am here. THanks for your reply.

Have you browsed through the information in LawInfo's Free Legal Resource Center to learn more about your issue yet? See: http://www.lawinfo.com/consumer.html and http://resources.lawinfo.com/en/index.html. You can certainly try to speak to a lawyer to determine what legal options may be available. In the meantime, you may be able to learn more on your own. Search the "Free Legal Resources" tab, or browse the Consumer Resources. Good luck.