The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1957-03-14
Oakland, Maryland
March Term, 1857

NdICIl tlllli 1901
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury;
There are two jury terms OF
court each year in this county. You
have been selected to serve as
grand jurors for the March, 1857
term of Court. To be eligible for
service as a juror one must be over
twenty-five but not over seventy
years of age. There is no require
ment of property ownership and
the only religious qualification is
the belief in the existence of God
It is customary for the Court to
charge you with reference to your
duties and the procedure you are
to follow in your work.
The part which the Grand Jury
has in the efficient administration
of the criminal law is extremely
important Your body has broad
powers of inquiry and may initiate
Investigations as to alleged viola
lions of the criminal laws of the
State. Your action. that is whether
to indict or dismiss a charge can
not be dictated by anybody. The
laws of many foreign countries per-
nit persons suspected of a crime
TO be put on trial at the will of the
government or its prosecuting Off
GER The laws of most Jurisdictions
i'm the United States, however
through the Grand Jury system
require that no person shall be tried
for a felony until Grand Jury
shall have examined the evidence
against him and found that there
is sufficient credible evidence to
warrant a trial on the charge.
The Grand Jury was designed to
be a body of discreet and thinking
persons called together not to act
hastily and inadvisedly upon an ac-
cusation against a citizen and place
him upon trial, but to protect the
public interest upon the high
ground of indicating the public
law. A Grand Jurors actions
should be dictated only by sense
of justice and a deep seated desire
to reach the guilty and protect the
innocent. You will therefore, real
ize that there is responsibility
resting upon every Grand Juror to
prevent your body from being used
for intimidation, for revenge or for
personal gain.
Indeed, the oath which you have
Just taken requires that you shall
diligently inquire, and true pre-
sentiment make of all such matters
which may come before you and
that you shall present no person
through envy, hatred or malice nOl
leave anyone unpreSented through
love, fear. favor or affection, or for
any hope or promise of reward. y
The obligation of the oath is the
greater in that the grand juror
himself is the sole judge of his good
faith. He cannot be questioned fol
anything that he may say or any
vote that he may give relative &c
any matter legally pending before
the Grand Jury, save only for per
jury committed in making an ac'
cusation or in testifying as a wit
ness before his fellow jurors.
You will find that most of the
cases presented to you will have
been investigated by the States
Attorney and other law enforce
ment officers. Usually you will heal
only the witnesses for the prosecu
ton and it is your duty to decide
if the charge is supported by such
evidence as warrants the trial Of
the accused by the criminal court
1t is your responsibility to deter
mine whether the charges may be
true or false and which should be
tried and which dismissed
In a criminal case an accused il
presumed innocent until proveC
guilty beyond a reasonable doub
and no one should be called upor
to answer an unfounded charge. YoI
must bear in mind, however, tha
grand jury is an accusing body
rather than a judicial tribunal. 1
is not your function to convict Oh
acquit, you hear but one side o
the matter and that is the States
evidence. 1t is the function of thu