Laws: Cases and Codes : U.S. Code : Title 28 : Section 1866


   
U.S. Code as of: 01/19/04
Section 1866. Selection and summoning of jury panels

      (a) The jury commission, or in the absence thereof the clerk,
    shall maintain a qualified jury wheel and shall place in such wheel
    names of all persons drawn from the master jury wheel who are
    determined to be qualified as jurors and not exempt or excused
    pursuant to the district court plan. From time to time, the jury
    commission or the clerk shall publicly draw at random from the
    qualified jury wheel such number of names of persons as may be
    required for assignment to grand and petit jury panels. The jury
    commission or the clerk shall prepare a separate list of names of
    persons assigned to each grand and petit jury panel.
      (b) When the court orders a grand or petit jury to be drawn, the
    clerk or jury commission or their duly designated deputies shall
    issue summonses for the required number of jurors.
      Each person drawn for jury service may be served personally, or
    by registered, certified, or first-class mail addressed to such
    person at his usual residence or business address.
      If such service is made personally, the summons shall be
    delivered by the clerk or the jury commission or their duly
    designated deputies to the marshal who shall make such service.
      If such service is made by mail, the summons may be served by the
    marshal or by the clerk, the jury commission or their duly
    designated deputies, who shall make affidavit of service and shall
    attach thereto any receipt from the addressee for a registered or
    certified summons.
      (c) Except as provided in section 1865 of this title or in any
    jury selection plan provision adopted pursuant to paragraph (5) or
    (6) of section 1863(b) of this title, no person or class of persons
    shall be disqualified, excluded, excused, or exempt from service as
    jurors: Provided, That any person summoned for jury service may be
    (1) excused by the court, or by the clerk under supervision of the
    court if the court's jury selection plan so authorizes, upon a
    showing of undue hardship or extreme inconvenience, for such period
    as the court deems necessary, at the conclusion of which such
    person either shall be summoned again for jury service under
    subsections (b) and (c) of this section or, if the court's jury
    selection plan so provides, the name of such person shall be
    reinserted into the qualified jury wheel for selection pursuant to
    subsection (a) of this section, or (2) excluded by the court on the
    ground that such person may be unable to render impartial jury
    service or that his service as a juror would be likely to disrupt
    the proceedings, or (3) excluded upon peremptory challenge as
    provided by law, or (4) excluded pursuant to the procedure
    specified by law upon a challenge by any party for good cause
    shown, or (5) excluded upon determination by the court that his
    service as a juror would be likely to threaten the secrecy of the
    proceedings, or otherwise adversely affect the integrity of jury
    deliberations. No person shall be excluded under clause (5) of this
    subsection unless the judge, in open court, determines that such is
    warranted and that exclusion of the person will not be inconsistent
    with sections 1861 and 1862 of this title. The number of persons
    excluded under clause (5) of this subsection shall not exceed one
    per centum of the number of persons who return executed jury
    qualification forms during the period, specified in the plan,
    between two consecutive fillings of the master jury wheel. The
    names of persons excluded under clause (5) of this subsection,
    together with detailed explanations for the exclusions, shall be
    forwarded immediately to the judicial council of the circuit, which
    shall have the power to make any appropriate order, prospective or
    retroactive, to redress any misapplication of clause (5) of this
    subsection, but otherwise exclusions effectuated under such clause
    shall not be subject to challenge under the provisions of this
    title. Any person excluded from a particular jury under clause (2),
    (3), or (4) of this subsection shall be eligible to sit on another
    jury if the basis for his initial exclusion would not be relevant
    to his ability to serve on such other jury.
      (d) Whenever a person is disqualified, excused, exempt, or
    excluded from jury service, the jury commission or clerk shall note
    in the space provided on his juror qualification form or on the
    juror's card drawn from the qualified jury wheel the specific
    reason therefor.
      (e) In any two-year period, no person shall be required to (1)
    serve or attend court for prospective service as a petit juror for
    a total of more than thirty days, except when necessary to complete
    service in a particular case, or (2) serve on more than one grand
    jury, or (3) serve as both a grand and petit juror.
      (f) When there is an unanticipated shortage of available petit
    jurors drawn from the qualified jury wheel, the court may require
    the marshal to summon a sufficient number of petit jurors selected
    at random from the voter registration lists, lists of actual
    voters, or other lists specified in the plan, in a manner ordered
    by the court consistent with sections 1861 and 1862 of this title.
      (g) Any person summoned for jury service who fails to appear as
    directed shall be ordered by the district court to appear forthwith
    and show cause for his failure to comply with the summons. Any
    person who fails to show good cause for noncompliance with a
    summons may be fined not more than $100 or imprisoned not more than
    three days, or both.



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