The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-05-07
THE NEW JURY LAW.

The impracticability of getting proper
men for juries, under the law enacted by
the last legislature has led to a revision of
the whole subject, and we publish, to-day,
the new law, in full, just passed by our
present legislature. As it repeats all 9th
er laws on the subject, it is important to
the whole public.
1t provides that the county board in
each county shall, in September, 1873,
make list of one tenth of the legal voters
of each precinct, and select theretrom 100
persons for each trial term Of the Circuit
and other courts to be held in said county,
the persons thus selected to be between 81
and GO years Of age, to have their rational
faculties, to be legally competent, be of
fair character, approved integrity sound
judgement, well Informed, and to under
stand the English language. This list Of
persons to continue for two years, If not
previously exhausted when the list is ex-
hausted, another shall be made.
Twenty days before the beginning Of any
trial term the clerk of the court shall, in
the presence of the county clerk, draw
from the hist Of names at least thirty to
serve as jurors for each two weeks that
such court will probably be in session.
Grand jurors are to be provided by
special drawing by the county board
Any person who shall seek to be juror,
or any person who shall request that an
other be placed on jury. shall be deemed
guilty OF contempt, and fined.
The fourteenth section makes the follow
ing sufficient causes for challenge of a
petit juror That he lacks any of the
qualifications already named that he has
served as juror within one year; that he
is party TO suit pending for trial at the
term. 1t further provides That it shall
not be cause of challenge that juror
has read in the newspapers an account of
the commission of the crime with which
the prisoner is charged, if such juror shall
state ON oath that he believes he can rem
der an impartial verdict according to the
law and the evidence, and provided, fur
ther, that in the trial of any criminal cause
the fact that a person called as juror has
formed an opinion or impression, based
upon rum0r or upon newspaper statements
Nabout the truth of which he has expressed
no opinlonl, shall not disqualify him t.
serve as juror in such cause If he shall,
upon oath, state that he believes he can
fairly and impartially render a verdict
thereon in accordance with the law and the
evidence, and the court shall be satisfied
of the truth of such statement
1t will be seen therefore, that Juror
for the trial of cases in the civil and Grim
inal courts may be challenged for either of
the following causes l. That he is not
an inhabitant Of the county, and is exempt
from serving on juries. , That he is not
p, or is over 90 years of age. 3 That he
IS not in the possession Of his natural
faculties, or is infrm or degrepit +
That he is not free from legal exceptions.
or is not Of fair character. or of approved
integrity, or of sound judgement, or well
informed, or that he does not understand
the English language ;. That he has
served as juror on the trial Of any cause
within one year 6. That he is party
to pending ease to be tried at the term.