2024 California Rules of Court
Standard 10.50. Selection of regular grand jury
(a) Definition
"Regular grand jury" means a body of citizens of a county selected by the court to investigate matters of civil concern in the county, whether or not that body has jurisdiction to return indictments.
(b) Regular grand jury list
The list of qualified candidates prepared by the jury commissioner to be considered for nomination to the regular grand jury should be obtained by one or more of the following methods:
(1) Names of members of the public obtained at random in the same manner as the list of trial jurors. However, the names obtained for nomination to the regular grand jury should be kept separate and distinct from the trial jury list, consistent with Penal Code section 899.
(2) Recommendations for grand jurors that encompass a cross-section of the county's population base, solicited from a broad representation of community-based organizations, civic leaders, and superior court judges, referees, and commissioners.
(3) Applications from interested citizens solicited through the media or a mass mailing.
(Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2007.)
(c) Carryover grand jurors
The court is encouraged to consider carryover grand jury selections under Penal Code section 901(b) to ensure broad-based representation.
(d) Nomination of grand jurors
Judges who nominate persons for grand jury selection under Penal Code section 903.4 are encouraged to select candidates from the list returned by the jury commissioner or to otherwise employ a nomination procedure that will ensure broad-based representation from the community.
(Subd (d) amended effective January 1, 2007.)
(e) Disfavored nominations
Judges should not nominate to the grand jury a spouse or immediate family member (within the first degree of consanguinity) of any superior court judge, commissioner, or referee; elected official; or department head of any city, county, or governmental entity subject to grand jury scrutiny.
(Subd (e) amended effective January 1, 2007.)
Standard 10.50 amended and renumbered effective January 1, 2007; adopted as sec. 17 effective July 1, 1992.
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