A Senate committee has voted 7-0 in favor of a bill to eliminate the “pick-a-pal” method judges use to select grand juries.
Grand juries—12 jurors and two alternates—hear evidence of alleged crimes and decide whether to issue an indictment. Under current law, a judge can choose a group of three to five grand jury commissioners who are responsible for recruiting qualified candidates to become grand jurors. Judges also can call a jury pool to pick a grand jury in the same way litigants pick trial juries. Senate Bill 135—and its companion, House Bill 282—would do away with the commissioner system. Next, the full Senate might debate the bill.
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