                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

WHEN AND HOW GRAND JURORS TO BE SELECTED AND SUMMONED; LISTS TO BE DELIVERED TO
CLERK (§ 19.2-194)

The judge or judges regularly presiding in the circuit court of each county and
city shall annually, in the month of June, July, or August, select from citizens
of the county or city at least 60 persons and not more than 120 persons 18 years
of age or over, of honesty, intelligence, impartiality, and good demeanor and
suitable in all respects to serve as grand jurors, who, except as hereinafter
provided, shall be the grand jurors for the county or city from which they are
selected for the next 12 months. The judge or judges making the selection shall
at once furnish to the clerk of the circuit court a list of those selected for
that county or city.
		The clerk, not more than 20 days before the commencement of each term of his
court at which a regular grand jury is required, shall issue a venire facias to
the sheriff of his county or city, commanding him to summon not less than five
nor more than nine of the persons selected as aforesaid (the number to be
designated by the judge of the court by an order entered of record) to be named
in the writ to appear on the first day of the court to serve as grand jurors.
Those persons who are to be summoned shall be randomly selected but no such
person shall be required to appear more than once until all the others have been
summoned once, nor more than twice until the others have been twice summoned,
and so on. The Circuit Court of James City County, or the judge thereof in
vacation, shall select the grand jurors for each court from such county and the
City of Williamsburg in such proportion from each as he may think proper.
		Any person who has legal custody of and is responsible for a child 16 years of
age or younger or a person having a mental or physical impairment requiring
continuous care during normal court hours shall be excused from jury service
upon his request.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 19.1-148; 1960, c. 366; 1971, Ex. Sess., c. 262; 1973,
cc. 401, 439; 1974, c. 618; 1975, c. 495; 1991, c. 226; 2003, c. 825; 2004, c.
306; 2008, c. 644.