Evening star., 1932-03-13
CAPPER OFFERS
BILL To IMPROVE
Jury SELECTIONS
Measure Prepared Under Eye
of District Supreme Court
Judges.
QUESTIONABLE PROVIDED
TO Be SENT TO PUBLIC
Jury Commission Also Empowered
to Summon ANY Individual
For Examination.

A bill to improve the method of Sc
Iecting jurors in Washington, prepared
under the supervision of the judges of
the District Supreme Court and a COM
n1ittee of the Bar Association, was Of
fered in the Senate late yesterday by
Chairman Capper of the District Com
nittee, shortly after he had received
it from Attorney General Mitchell.
The need for some legislation on this
subject was mentioned several weeks
ago by President Hoover in his special
message to Congress on bankruptcy laws
and reforms in judicial procedure.
A salient feature of the bill would
enable the Jury Commission to send
out a QUESTIONABLE to any person in
the District, to be filled out under OATH
concerning the persons qualifications
for jury service. The commission also
could summon any individual to appear
before it to be examined under oath
concerning his own qualifications and
fitness, or those of any other person,
to serve as juror"
Not Open to Inspection.
Refusal to respond could be dealt
with as for contempt, but no one could
be required to attend more than twice
a year. The questionnaires would not
be open to public inspection. The Jury
Commission could consider the prefer
ence of jurors as to the time OF the
year they could serve most conveniently,
and records would be kept in that order.
Such preferences, however, would not
be controlling on the commission.
Attorney General Mitchell explained
he had not submitted the measure to
the Budget Bureau, and, because 1t
would require additional expense, he is
not at liberty to sponsor it or urge its
enactment. He said he was acting
merely as an envoy to transmit 1t to
Congress He added the following COM
ment:
II do urge that the Congress enact
some legislation at this session which
would improve the quality of persons
selected for jury service and avoid the
expense and trouble which results from
the presence Of ineligible persons on the
Jury list"
Three Commissioners.
The bill provides for three jury COM
missioners, as at present: NOW eacn
days actually served, but not to ex-
ceed five days q month, Under the
new bill one jury commissioner would
be paid on an annual basis at the rate
of $4,5O0 a year and he would be chair
man, with the other two continuing on
q per diem basis. Omitting the cost
of printing under the new plan, it was
estimated the bill would require an
increase of $3,T50 over current expenses
of the jury commission.
Another new section that would be
added to existing law states that the
new provisions as to mode Of drawing
and summoning jurors shall be con-
strued as directory merely, and no
presentment or indictment shall be
Quashed, nor shall any judgment be
set aside, stayed or reversed, nor shall
any challenge to the array Of jurors
in criminal case be allowed because
of any failure by the jury commits
sioners or the clerks or the marshal to
comply with the provisions of law or
the rules of the courts relating to the
drawing of jurors in the District, un-
less the rights of the defendant have
been substantially prejudiced thereby