S*1095(Rat #0362, Act #0373 of 1998)  General Bill, By Senate Judiciary

Similar(S 1033, S 1038, S 1077, H 4456)
 A BILL TO AMEND ARTICLE 13, CHAPTER 7 OF TITLE 14, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH
 CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO GRAND JURIES, SO AS TO REVISE THE PROVISIONS OF
 THE ARTICLE TO CLARIFY LANGUAGE CONCERNING THE DRAWING OF GRAND JURORS, TO
 DELETE CERTAIN OBSOLETE PROVISIONS, TO PROVIDE THAT THE NUMBER OF GRAND JURORS
 TO BE DRAWN BY THE JURY COMMISSIONERS MUST BE A NUMBER WHICH THE CLERK OF
 COURT OR CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE FOR THE CIRCUIT HAS DETERMINED TO BE
 SUFFICIENT IN ORDER TO IMPANEL A GRAND JURY, AND TO PROVIDE THAT A PERSON
 COMPLETING HIS SERVICE AS A GRAND JUROR, INCLUDING ANY SERVICE AS A HOLDOVER
 GRAND JUROR, IS EXEMPT FROM ANY FURTHER JURY SERVICE IN ANY COURT OF THIS
 STATE FOR A PERIOD OF FIVE CALENDAR YEARS; AND TO AMEND CHAPTER 7 OF TITLE 14,
 RELATING TO JURIES AND JURORS IN CIRCUIT COURT, BY ADDING ARTICLE 17, SO AS TO
 PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR SELECTING AND IMPANELING GRAND JURIES IN
 WHICH GRAND JURORS SHALL SERVE TERMS OF SIX MONTHS RATHER THAN ONE YEAR AND
 MAY HOLD OVER FOR ONE ADDITIONAL SIX-MONTH TERM, TO PROVIDE THE PROCEDURES FOR
 SELECTING AND IMPANELING SUCH JURORS UNDER THIS ALTERNATIVE METHOD, AND TO
 PROVIDE THAT A PERSON COMPLETING HIS SERVICE AS A GRAND JUROR UNDER THIS
 ALTERNATIVE METHOD, INCLUDING ANY SERVICE AS A HOLDOVER GRAND JUROR, IS EXEMPT
 FROM ANY FURTHER JURY SERVICE IN ANY COURT OF THIS STATE FOR A PERIOD OF FIVE
 CALENDAR YEARS.

   03/04/98  Senate Introduced, read first time, placed on calendar
                     without reference SJ-5
   03/05/98  Senate Read second time SJ-10
   03/11/98  Senate Amended SJ-14
   03/11/98  Senate Read third time and sent to House SJ-14
   03/12/98  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-13
   03/12/98  House  Referred to Committee on Judiciary HJ-14
   04/08/98  House  Committee report: Favorable Judiciary HJ-6
   04/14/98  House  Read second time HJ-29
   04/15/98  House  Read third time and enrolled HJ-17
   05/21/98         Ratified R 362
   05/26/98         Signed By Governor
   05/26/98         Effective date 05/26/98
   06/23/98         Copies available
   06/30/98         Act No. 373

AN ACT TO AMEND ARTICLE 13, CHAPTER 7 OF TITLE 14, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO GRAND JURIES, SO AS TO REVISE THE PROVISIONS OF THE ARTICLE TO CLARIFY LANGUAGE CONCERNING THE DRAWING OF GRAND JURORS, TO DELETE CERTAIN OBSOLETE PROVISIONS, TO PROVIDE THAT THE NUMBER OF GRAND JURORS TO BE DRAWN BY THE JURY COMMISSIONERS MUST BE A NUMBER WHICH THE CLERK OF COURT OR CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE FOR THE CIRCUIT HAS DETERMINED TO BE SUFFICIENT IN ORDER TO IMPANEL A GRAND JURY, AND TO PROVIDE THAT A PERSON COMPLETING HIS SERVICE AS A GRAND JUROR, INCLUDING ANY SERVICE AS A HOLDOVER GRAND JUROR, IS EXEMPT FROM ANY FURTHER JURY SERVICE IN ANY COURT OF THIS STATE FOR A PERIOD OF FIVE CALENDAR YEARS; AND TO AMEND CHAPTER 7 OF TITLE 14, RELATING TO JURIES AND JURORS IN CIRCUIT COURT, BY ADDING ARTICLE 17 SO AS TO PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR SELECTING AND IMPANELING GRAND JURIES IN WHICH GRAND JURORS SHALL SERVE TERMS OF SIX MONTHS RATHER THAN ONE YEAR AND MAY HOLD OVER FOR ONE ADDITIONAL SIX-MONTH TERM, TO PROVIDE THE PROCEDURES FOR SELECTING AND IMPANELING SUCH JURORS UNDER THIS ALTERNATIVE METHOD, AND TO PROVIDE THAT A PERSON COMPLETING HIS SERVICE AS A GRAND JUROR UNDER THIS ALTERNATIVE METHOD, INCLUDING ANY SERVICE AS A HOLDOVER GRAND JUROR, IS EXEMPT FROM ANY FURTHER JURY SERVICE IN ANY COURT OF THIS STATE FOR A PERIOD OF FIVE CALENDAR YEARS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Selecting, impaneling, and service provisions revised

SECTION 1. Article 13, Chapter 7 of Title 14 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

Section 14-7-1510. (A) During the last term of the court of general sessions held in each county for any year, the clerk of court shall randomly draw from the twelve members serving their first year on the grand jury the names of six of the grand jurors who, together with twelve grand jurors selected in the manner prescribed in this article, shall constitute the grand jury for the succeeding year. The drawing of these names by the clerk of court has the same force and effect as if the names of the six grand jurors had been drawn in the presence of the presiding judge.

(B) No person shall serve as a grand juror for more than two consecutive years.

(C) A person completing service as a grand juror under the provisions of this article, including any service as a holdover grand juror, is exempt from any further jury service in any court of this State for a period of five calendar years.

Section 14-7-1520. Not less than fifteen days before the convening of the first term of the court of general sessions for the calendar year, the jury commissioners shall proceed to draw from the jury box the number of grand jurors which the clerk of court or chief administrative judge for the circuit has determined to be sufficient in order to impanel a grand jury. The grand jurors must be randomly drawn and listed as are jurors for trials, and the jury commissioners shall not disqualify or excuse any juror drawn. Immediately after these grand jurors are drawn, the clerk of court shall issue writs of venire facias for these grand jurors, requiring their attendance on the first day of the first week of criminal court in the county or at such other time as the clerk of court may designate. These writs of venire facias must be delivered immediately to the sheriff of the county or otherwise served as provided by law.

Section 14-7-1530. On the first day of the term of court, the presiding judge shall ascertain the qualifications of those jurors who have appeared pursuant to the writs of venire facias. No juror may be excused or disqualified except in accordance with existing law as determined by the presiding judge. The clerk of court shall maintain a list of all jurors who are excused or disqualified by the presiding judge and state the reasons given by the presiding judge for excusing or disqualifying the jurors. The sheriff of the county also shall report to the presiding judge the names of those persons who were not served with writs of venire facias, and that reasonable effort was made to obtain service. The clerk of court shall maintain a list of the jurors who were not served with the writs of venire facias and the reasons service was not effected.

Section 14-7-1540. After the grand jury venire has been duly qualified by the presiding judge, the clerk of court shall place the names of all qualified grand jurors in a container from which twelve grand jurors must be chosen. The clerk of court shall randomly draw twelve jurors from the container, and those twelve jurors drawn shall serve as grand jurors, together with those grand jurors selected as provided under Section 14-7-1510(A). The clerk of court shall randomly draw three or more additional jurors, with those three or more jurors serving as alternate grand jurors in the event one or more of the original grand jurors are incapacitated, excused, or disqualified during their term. The names of the alternate grand jurors must be kept separate and numbered in the order drawn and in this order, unless excused by the presiding judge, shall serve when necessary. The remainder of the grand jury venire may be discharged.

Section 14-7-1550. The foreman of the grand jury or acting foreman in the circuit courts of any county of the State may swear the witnesses whose names shall appear on the bill of indictment in the grand jury room. No witnesses shall be sworn except those who have been bound over or subpoenaed in the manner provided by law. In order to obtain attendance of any witness, the grand jury may proceed as provided by the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure and Sections 19-9-10 through 19-9-130.

Section 14-7-1560. Grand juries may, whenever in their judgment it becomes necessary, employ one or more expert accountants to aid them to examine and investigate the offices, books, papers, vouchers, and accounts of any public officer of their respective counties and to fix the amount of compensation or per diem to be paid therefor, upon the approval of the presiding or circuit judge given before any expert is employed.

Alternative method

SECTION 2. Chapter 7 of Title 14 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

Section 14-7-1910. (A) Grand jurors shall serve terms of six months and may be held over for one additional six-month term.

(B) During the last term of the court of general sessions held in each county before December thirty-first of each year, the clerk of court shall randomly draw from the twelve members serving their first six-month term on the grand jury the names of six of the grand jurors who have not served two consecutive six-month terms. Those six members together with twelve grand jurors selected in the manner prescribed in this article shall constitute the grand jury for the six-month period beginning on January first of the succeeding year and ending on June thirtieth of that year.

(C) During the last term of the court of general sessions held in each county before July first of each year, the clerk of court shall randomly draw from the twelve members serving their first six-month term on the grand jury the names of six of the grand jurors who have not served two consecutive six-month terms. Those six members together with twelve grand jurors selected in the manner prescribed in this article shall constitute the grand jury for the ensuing period beginning on July first and ending on December thirty-first of that year.

(D) The drawing of these names by the clerk of court has the same force and effect as if the names of the six grand jurors had been drawn in the presence of the presiding judge.

(E) No person shall serve as a grand juror for more than two consecutive six-month terms.

Section 14-7-1920. Not less than fifteen days before the convening of the first term of the court of general sessions on or after January first and July first of each year, the jury commissioners shall proceed to draw from the jury box the number of grand jurors which the clerk of court or chief administrative judge for the circuit has determined to be sufficient in order to impanel a grand jury. The grand jurors must be randomly drawn and listed as are jurors for trials, and the jury commissioners shall not disqualify or excuse any juror drawn. Immediately after these grand jurors are drawn, the clerk of court shall issue writs of venire facias forthese grand jurors, requiring their attendance on the first day of the first week of criminal court in the county on or after January first or July first of each year or at such other time as the clerk of court may designate. These writs of venire facias must be delivered immediately to the sheriff of the county or otherwise served as provided by law.

Section 14-7-1930. On the first day of the term of court on or after January first and July first of each year, the presiding judge shall ascertain the qualifications of those jurors as have appeared pursuant to the writs of venire facias. No juror may be excused or disqualified except in accordance with existing law as determined by the presiding judge. The clerk of court shall maintain a list of all jurors who are excused or disqualified by the presiding judge and state the reasons given by the presiding judge for excusing or disqualifying the jurors. The sheriff of the county also shall report to the presiding judge the names of those persons who were not served with writs of venire facias, and that reasonable effort was made to obtain service. The clerk of court shall maintain a list of the jurors who were not served with the writs of venire facias and the reasons service was not effected.

Section 14-7-1940. After the grand jury venire has been duly qualified by the presiding judge, the clerk of court shall place the names of all qualified grand jurors in a container from which twelve grand jurors must be chosen. The clerk of court shall randomly draw twelve jurors from the container, and those twelve jurors drawn shall serve as grand jurors, together with those grand jurors selected as provided under Section 14-7-1910. The clerk of court shall randomly draw three or more additional jurors, with those three or more jurors serving as alternate grand jurors in the event one or more of the original grand jurors are incapacitated, excused, or disqualified during their term. The names of the alternate grand jurors must be kept separate and numbered in the order drawn and in this order, unless excused by the presiding judge, shall serve when necessary. The remainder of the grand jury venire may be discharged.

Section 14-7-1950. Except for the alternative method of selecting and impaneling grand jurors as provided in this article, all other provisions of law relating to grand juries and grand jurors shall continue to apply.

Section 14-7-1960. A county governing body, by ordinance, may elect to use the provisions of this article as the method of selecting and impaneling grand juries and grand jurors in that county based on its determination that grand jury case loads, length of time persons must serve as grand jurors, and other similar concerns require this alternative method.

Section 14-7-1970. A person completing service as a grand juror under the alternative method provided by this article, including any service as a holdover grand juror, is exempt from any further jury service in any court of this State for a period of five calendar years."

Time effective

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

Approved the 26th day of May, 1998.