§ 22-33. Jury service

(a) Juror summons.

(1) The jury summons will notify prospective jurors to report to the central jury room of the Frank Crowley Courts Building or the George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building at a specified time, either in the morning or in the afternoon, on a specified date. Jurors may also be summoned to report to any of the justice of the peace courts located within the county. Those jurors summoned to appear in the afternoon (standby jurors) who are not required to appear shall be considered as having completed their jury service, and their names shall not be placed back on the list of prospective jurors until it is next reconstituted.

(2) Prospective jurors summoned to appear at the Frank Crowley Courts Building may be drawn upon for use at the George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building, and prospective jurors summoned to appear at the George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building may be drawn upon for use at the Frank Crowley Courts Building when, in the discretion of the jury room bailiff, such is necessary.

(3) Jurors shall be summoned for service in courts located at the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center or any other courts buildings or courthouses designated by the county, in accordance with this plan, the applicable laws, and in the same manner as jurors summoned for service at the Crowley Courts Building and the Allen Courts Building. Any juror summoned to appear for service at a particular the county courts building or courthouse may be used interchangeably in any of the county courts buildings or courthouses when, in the discretion of the jury room bailiff, such is necessary.

(b) Disqualifications and exemptions. Disqualifications and exemptions shall be as provided by law. The names of persons listed in a register of persons exempt from jury service may not be used in preparing the record of names from which a jury is selected, as provided in V.T.C.A., Government Code §§ 62.108 and 62.109.

(c) Jury orientation. The designated presiding judge of the central jury room may conduct the central jury room orientation. In lieu of having juror orientation conducted by a judge, the district and criminal district judges, by majority vote, may authorize the central jury room juror orientation to be conducted by video presentation or other similar means.

(d) Excuses and postponements. The jury room bailiff and the jury room staff under the supervision of the jury room bailiff are designated as the court's designee pursuant to V.T.C.A., Government Code § 62.110. Reasonable grounds for postponement or excuse from jury service are left to the discretion of the court or court's designee and shall be as provided by law. The court's designee shall follow the guidelines adopted by the district and criminal district court judges for the consideration of juror excuses. If the court or court's designee deems the excuse sufficient, the prospective juror may be discharged or have his or her jury service postponed to a specified date. A record of postponements shall be maintained by the jury room staffs. To ensure the randomness of the selection process, the jury room bailiff shall limit the number of prospective jurors reassigned to appear for jury service on any particular date so that the number of prospective jurors serving on a particular date due to a postponement of jury service does not exceed a predetermined limit set by the jury room bailiff and approved by the county district clerk.

(e) Challenged jurors. Any prospective juror removed from a jury panel for cause, by peremptory challenge, or for any other reason must be dismissed from jury service, and the person may not be placed on another jury panel until his name is again drawn for jury service.

(f) Impaneling the jury. Procedures for requesting jury panels and the impaneling of jurors shall be as provided by law and in accordance with the policies and procedures of the jury services department, as approved by the presiding district judges of the central jury rooms and the local administrative district judge.

(g) Defaulting jurors. Penalties for failure to comply with a jury summons or filing a false claim of exemption from jury service shall be as provided by law.

(Ord. No. 99-1263, § 3, 7-6-1999)