Title: In Re: Application of AG Additional Multicounty GJ (miscellaneous)

State: pennsylvania

Issuer: Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Document:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA
MIDDLE DISTRICT

IN RE: APPLICATION OF JOSH No. 196 MM 2018
SHAPIRO, ATTORNEY GENERAL OF
‘THE COMMONWEALTH OF
PENNSYLVANIA, REQUESTING AN
‘ORDER DIRECTING THAT AN
ADDITIONAL MULTICOUNTY
INVESTIGATING GRAND JURY HAVING
‘STATEWIDE JURISDICTION BE
CONVENED
ORDER

AND NOW, this 31* day of December, 2018, upon consideration of the
‘Application of Josh Shapiro, Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
and it appearing to the Court that the granting of the Application is appropriate under the
Investigating Grand Jury Act, 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 4541 et seq,, it is hereby ORDERED as
follows:

1. The Attorney General's Application requesting an Order directing that an.
additional multicounty investigating grand jury having statewide jurisdiction (‘Forty-
Fourth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury’) be convened is hereby GRANTED.

2. The Honorable Lillian H. Ransom, First Judicial District, Philadelphia

 

County, Pennsylvania, is hereby designated as Supervising Judge of the Forty-Fourth
Statewide Investigating Grand Jury. All applications and motions relating to the work of
the Forty-Fourth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury—including motions for disclosure
of grand jury transcripts and evidence—shall be presented to the Supervising Judge.
With respect fo investigations, presentments, reports, and all other proper activities of

the Forty-Fourth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, Judge Ransom, as Supervising
Judge, shall have jurisdiction over all counties throughout the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. Judge Ransom may temporarily designate another jurist who has been
appointed by this Court as the Supervising Judge of a multicounty investigating grand
Jury having statewide jurisdiction to serve as Acting Supervising Judge of the Forty-
Fourth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury when Judge Ransom is absent or otherwise
unavailable,

3. Montgomery County is designated as the location for the Forty-Fourth
‘Statewide Investigating Grand Jury proceedings.

4. The Court Administrator of Pennsyivaniais directed to draw six counties at
random from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania pursuant to the provisions of Rule
244(A)(1) and 241(C)(2) of the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, and these six
counties, plus Montgomery, shall together supply jurors for the Forty-Fourth Statewide
Investigating Grand Jury.

5. The Court Administrator of Pennsylvania is directed to obtain the names
and addresses of persons residing in the aforesaid counties who are eligible by law to
‘serve as grand jurors pursuant to the provisions of Rule 241(A)(2) of the Pennsylvania
Rules of Criminal Procedure.

6. The total of such names of prospective jurors to be collected shall be two
hundred, of which fity shall be selected at random and summoned by the Court
Administrator of Pennsylvania to Montgomery County. The Supervising Judge shall
impanel the Forty-Fourth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury from this panel of fity

prospective jurors. if it becomes necessary, additional prospective jurors shall be

196 MM 2018 - 2
summoned by the Supervising Judge from among the remaining one hundred fifty
prospective jurors.

7. The Forty-Fourth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury will remain in
session for not more than eighteen months following the date that itis impaneled by the
‘Supervising Judge,

8. The Atfomey General of the Commonweaith of Pennsylvania, or his
designee in charge of the Forty-Fourth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury, may apply, if
necessary, to the Supervising Judge for an extension of the term of the Forty-Fourth
Statewide Investigating Grand Jury for an additional period of up to six months, if, at the
€end of its original term, the Investigating Grand Jury determines by majority vote that it
has not completed its business. The Forty-Fourth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury's
term, including any extension thereof, shall not exceed twenty-four months from the
date it was originally impaneled by the Supervising Judge.

9. In addition to maintaining control of transcripts and evidence as provided
by Rule 229 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure and controling disclosure
of matters occurring before the Forty-Fourth Statewide Investigating Grand Jury as
provided by 42 Pa.C.S. §4549, the Supervising Judge shall have the same duties and
powers relating to maintaining grand jury secrecy with respect to each prior Statewide

Investigating Grand Jury convened in Montgomery County or any other county identified

THOMAS G EB

Chief Justice of Pennsylvania

in Rule 241(C)(2),

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