If someone gets a jury summons, they could always claim to have a 2 year old at home and that they are the primary care giver. This is a valid excuse for an exemption.
That does not fly anymore. They MIGHT excuse you once, with a birth certificate as proof, but not a second time. The rules are very strict now. I had to come in in the winter in a snowstorm to Queens, and show them both a letter from my Rov explaining about Fridays (that I do not travel more than a half hour’s ride on Erev Shabbos after 1 PM (that’s the truth, btw, having gotten stuck once for three hours in a blizzard, and making it home just to lichtzen), and also from my doctor, with an excuse that is also true, but which I do not want to discuss here. I was excused immediately, and B”H have not been called again, but I did have to show up for that first meeting. I could have handled it over the phone, had I done so in time, but I mislaid the paper and only found it the day before I neededd to start calling the number on the summons.
It is a felony to deliberately not answer a jury summons. You might get away with,”I never saw the mail,” once. Not twice. They have heard every excuse, and could not care less if you have a baby, a mean boss, a lousy professor, a bad back, etc. Just go, do your civic duty, and hopefully you will not hear from them for a while. My hubby served many times on a regular jury and on the Grand Jury (capital case). He actually served for the two weeks. He enjoyed himself very much. It was a break in routine from his teaching. It is against the law for an employer to penalize his employee for serving. You cannot be fired for that.