Source: https://www.sccourts.org/clerkOfCourtManual/displaychapter.cfm?chapter=4
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 16:41:12+00:00

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The statutes governing the jury system of the Circuit Courts of South Carolina are found in Chapter 7, Title 14, of the South Carolina Code of Laws, 1976.
The jury system in South Carolina involves both grand juries and petit juries. From the Clerk of Court's perspective, many but not all procedures for the selections of grand juries and petit juries are similar. The Clerk of Court is responsible for summoning of prospective jurors, venire preparation and management, and compensation of jurors for the Circuit and Probate Courts.
Source lists for juror selection are provided by the South Carolina Election Commission (S.C. Code § 14-7-130). The South Carolina Election Commission compiles the source list from information provided by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and the Election Commission's database and makes this list available to the county jury commissioners in October of each year.
S.C. Code Ann. §14-7-140 provides for the automation of juror selection and summoning. The automated Jury Management System jury selection segment has been implemented statewide by the Judicial Department's Office of Information Technology pursuant to the Supreme Court Order dated May 17, 2004. The JMS jury selection process is random, impartial, and free of discrimination in respect to any group or individual.
The Office of Information Technology has developed a Jury Management System Manual which may be accessed by clicking on the following link: Jury Management System Manual.
S.C. Const., Article I, § 14 guarantees the right to trial by jury for criminal matters, although the accused may waive this right to be tried by a judge without a jury (bench trial).
B. Any party may demand a trial by jury of any issue triable of right by a jury.
S.C. Code § 62-1-306 of the Probate Code authorizes "trial by jury in any proceeding involving an issue of fact in an action for the recovery of money only or of specific real or personal property." Additionally, the Court "may call a jury to decide any issue of fact" in an advisory capacity. Further, this code section reads, "The method of drawing, summoning, and compensating jurors under this section shall be within the province of the county jury commission and shall be governed by Chapter 7 of Title 14 of the 1976 Code relating to juries in circuit courts."
The Clerk of Court will be notified by the Probate Court when a Probate Court jury trial needs to be scheduled. If facilities permit, the Clerk of Court should schedule the probate jury trials concurrently with the next regularly scheduled General Sessions or Common Pleas term, and notify the Probate Court in writing of the date of the scheduled term within ten days of that Court's request. When concurrent scheduling is not possible, the Probate Court must submit a request for a special Probate Court jury term to the Chief Justice through Court Administration. If the request is approved, the Clerk of Court and the Probate Court Judge will decide upon a date for the special term. The Clerk of Court is responsible for summoning, venire preparation, and compensation of Probate Court jurors. The Clerk draws the jury panels and provides jury management when the Probate Court is using Circuit Court facilities. When Probate Court facilities are used, the Probate Court is responsible for jury management. For special jury terms, the Clerk's representative must be present for juror qualification, but drawing the panel and jury management become Probate Court responsibilities.
The July 1, 1987 administrative order governing the Probate Court jury procedure can be accessed at the following link: Probate Court Jury Policy.
On June 7, 2012, A200, R257, H4758 was signed into law by Governor Haley and became effective on that date. The Act amended S.C. Code §§ 14-7-110 and 14-7-140, relating to the jury commissioners for the purpose of summoning of jurors in Circuit Court and the use of a computer for the drawing and summoning of jurors in Circuit Court, respectively, both so as to delete references to jury commissioners and allow the clerk of court or the deputy clerk to perform the function of drawing and summoning jurors.
While the jury selection and summoning process is now implemented through the JMS system, there may come a time when JMS is not available. We have included below the instructions for a manual jury selection and summoning process.
Place the numbered jury list inside of the jury box.
Prepare a slip of paper for each number on the jury list, one number per paper.
Insert each slip of paper into a separate opaque capsule.
Place all prepared capsules into the jury box.
Note: All numbered papers and capsules must be of similar construction, weight, and appearance and without distinguishing marks.
Rotate jury box to thoroughly mix capsules.
Each jury commissioner uses his/her key to open the jury box.
Randomly draw the required number of capsules from the jury box.
Open each capsule and read the number enclosed.
Match the number to the name on the jury list.
Record the jurors name on venire list.
Notify the prospective jurors by way of juror summons.
Under an approved plan, as mentioned in 4.0.1, the physical task of drawing and recording the names of individual prospective jurors may be performed by computer. Computerized drawings take place in the clerk's office as a public event to ensure absolute integrity of the random selection process. The clerk of court or the deputy clerk of court must be physically present for the computerized drawing.
The Clerk of Court is responsible for notifying (or summoning) prospective jurors when they have been selected for jury duty in either the Circuit or Probate Court. As required by law, a juror must be notified of selection for service fifteen days prior to the start of the term for which he/she has been summoned (§ 14-7-160).
Issue a writ of venire facias requiring juror attendance for the first day of the term. Unless exempt from service, summoned jurors must attend the first day of the term of court for which they are summoned, or such other time as designated by the court, such for transfers.
Prepare the summons for each prospective juror drawn. Form SCCA 235 is used for this purpose. Include a return envelope with the form. NOTE: Additional materials may be included with the form. For example, a juror questionnaire (SCCA 219) must be included for petit jurors in capital cases.
NOTE: If mail service is used and a summons is returned as not being deliverable, the summons should be forwarded to the sheriff for service.
For many prospective jurors, aside from traffic court, jury duty may be their only substantial contact with the justice system. The attitudes of prospective jurors will range from having pride in performing a civic duty to resentment at being imposed upon, with general apathy falling somewhere in between. Also, first time jurors will be somewhat confused as to what their obligation as a juror will entail. Currently, the media is filled with glamorized depictions of court happenings as well as entertainment based "staged" courts and some jurors will bring these perceptions into the courthouse. The Clerk of Court should be aware of and sensitive to the many facets of dealing with jurors. If a jury manager's approach to his or her job is customer service oriented, the jurors' perspective and the image of the justice system will benefit. Simple efforts such as providing coffee, a clean jury area, and reasonably comfortable chairs can have a positive effect on jurors. Obviously, because the Clerk of Court is popularly elected, the Clerk has substantial experience and talent in dealing with the public. While there is no official guide to public relations for Clerks of Court, a few procedures are necessary for juror management. The following basic jury management procedures will vary from county to county according to tradition and the personal style of the Clerk.
When prospective jurors report to the courthouse for service, they should be directed to an area separate from the general public, i.e. courtroom or jury room, for roll call and qualification. The jury manager should have a master list of summoned jurors to record information relative to each juror, such as attendance, time of service, excuses, etc.
At some point prior to qualification, prospective jurors should be informed of what to expect during their time of service. The Uniform Juror Information Pamphlet, Form 3, SCRCP, is designed to assist in the orientation of jurors and should be distributed to jurors either when they arrive at the courthouse or before, such as including the pamphlet in a confirmation notice. A juror orientation video is also currently available through the S.C. Bar. Finally, jurors must be given a copy or informed of the substance of the Supreme Court orders dated August 25, 2000 and July 20, 2009, pertaining to pagers, cell phones, and other personal communication devices in the courtroom. (See "Orders" section at the end of this chapter). This order also requires that a copy of the same must be posted on courtroom doors.
All jurors must be qualified before they become members of the jury pool. The judge makes the decisions as to who qualifies and who does not qualify based on statutory provisions. To assist in this decision making process, each summons contains a Juror Information Form and Juror Response Form which the recipient must complete and return to the Clerk of Court within three days after receipt. The Juror Response Form serves to indicate if a prospective juror believes they should be disqualified, exempted, or excused from jury duty. The Clerk of Court collects these forms as they are returned and retains them for use by the court during the term.
Between summons issuance and the reporting date, the Clerk's Office must monitor responses to the summonses so that the Clerk and the Judge know who to expect on the first day of the term. This same procedure is used for Circuit Court and Probate Court juries.
Maintain a master copy of the venire lists of individuals summoned for the term of court or for the grand jury.
Note by each name when the Juror Information Form is received. If changes of address are reported, note that on the list.
If the sheriff returns a summons as undeliverable, indicate on the master venire list all individuals who were not served and those for which an affidavit of failure to locate was filed.
2. send confirming correspondence to the prospective juror. Form letters may be helpful for this task.
This transfer must be noted on the master venire list to include the date of the term of court to which the juror has been transferred.
In accordance with an inter-office procedure, ensure that the juror will be transferred to the appropriate term. For example, a juror transfer calendar could be used to keep track of such changes in service.
Notify the juror in writing of his/her new reporting date.
Transferred jurors should be sent a reminder letter or re-summoned for the term of court to which they were transferred.
NOTE: A transferred juror's name is added to the end of the master venire list, i.e. transferred jurors' names appear in addition to the names normally drawn.
Grand jury selection is normally a two step process that results in a complete panel of six experienced, or "holdover", grand jurors and twelve new grand jurors for each grand jury term. Each year, or six months for use of the alternate method, at the last term of court of General Sessions, the Clerk of Court must draw the names of six of the current grand jurors to continue to serve for the next grand jury term. No juror, however, may serve for more than two consecutive terms. Then, at least fifteen days prior to the first term of court for the next year (or alternatively, the next six months), the names of potential new grand jurors will be drawn. The number of names drawn for this purpose is determined by either the Clerk of Court or the Chief Administrative Judge and should be a number sufficient to impanel a grand jury. The remaining twelve grand jurors will be selected from this group. (§ 14-7-1520) Please see Section 4.0.1 regarding automatic grand jury drawing.
Prepare identical slips of paper with the names of the current grand jurors, excluding those who are completing their second term of service.
Place the slips into individual, identical capsules like those mentioned in section 4.3.
Place the capsules into a suitable container and mix the capsules.
The Clerk of Court will then randomly draw six capsules from the container.
The six names drawn will be holdover grand jurors. Record their names and notify see (4.4) the jurors of their selection to serve the following term.
The Clerk of Court will notify the jury commission to convene for the drawing of a sufficient number of potential grand jurors.
The jury box should be prepared as explained in section 4.3.
The clerk or deputy clerk will draw the appropriate number of capsules randomly from the jury box.
At the time designated for reporting to the court, the presiding judge will qualify the prospective grand jurors based upon the information on the Juror Information and Juror Response Forms, and by questions presented on the judge's initiative. Also, jurors will be disqualified, exempted, or excused in accordance with the requirements of Title 14, Chapter 7 of the South Carolina Code of Laws.
NOTE: When a juror is disqualified, exempted, or excused, make a note of the reason for disqualification, exemption, or excuse by that juror's name on the master copy of the venire list.
Once the prospective grand jurors have been qualified, the names of twelve new grand jurors and alternates for the new term will be drawn by the clerk either through the JMS system or manually.
Prepare identical slips of paper for each juror who qualified.
Place the slips into individual, identical capsules like those described in section 4.3.
Place the capsules in a container and mix them.
Clerk of Court then draws twelve names randomly from the container and places those names on the grand juror list.
Additionally, the Clerk of Court draws three or more names to serve as alternate grand jurors.
When making the grand juror list, place the names drawn in the order in which they were drawn. When the use of an alternate grand juror is necessary, use alternates in the order drawn.
Discharge the remainder of the venire.
The drawing of a petit jury is a public affair and must take place in the Clerk of Court's office. At least ten days in advance of a petit jury drawing, the clerk must publish in the local newspaper or on the courthouse door a notice detailing the place, day, and hour of the jury drawing (§ 14-7-220). Drawings must occur at least fifteen days but no more than thirty-five days before the first day of any term requiring a jury (§ 14-7-190 and § 14-7-200).
Section 4.0.1 of this Chapter addresses the procedure for juror selection.
Note: If a drawing is required for a special Probate Court jury term, the number of jurors to be drawn will be determined by the Chief Justice.
At the start of each term, petit jurors will be qualified by the judge in the same manner as provided for qualification of grand jurors, including the processing of juror transfer, disqualification, exemption, or excuse. If a special Probate Court jury term is held, the Clerk of Court shall have a representative in the courtroom during qualification -- subsequent jury management matters are the responsibility of the Probate Court. After the prospective jurors have been qualified and the jury pool established, panels will be drawn as needed for scheduled trials.
§ 14-7-870. Procedures applicable to excused jurors.
Whenever a juror is so excused, unless the cause of the excuse is permanent physical disability of the juror or the juror is a member of one of the classes of persons set forth in § 14-7-840, the name of the juror must be placed by the clerk on the succeeding panel of the same term, or the next term or a subsequent term of court. The name of the juror so placed on any panel must be in addition to the seventy-five names required to be placed on the panel under the provisions of § 14-7-200, and the juror shall attend the court on the first day of the week for which he has been so designated without the issuance or service of any further process.
§ 14-7-840. Exemption from jury service; requirement of direction by court; maintenance of list of persons excused.
No person is exempt from service as a juror in any court of this State except men and women sixty-five years of age or over. Notaries public are not considered state officers and are not exempt under this section. A person exempt under this section may be excused upon telephone confirmation of date of birth and age to the clerk of court or the chief magistrate. The clerk shall not excuse or disqualify a juror under this section. The clerk of court shall maintain a list of persons excused by the court and the reasons the juror was determined to be excused.
NOTE: Please see section 4.6.2 for information regarding juror transfers.
Once all prospective jurors have been qualified by the judge, have the judge sign the annotated master venire list thereby certifying the serving status of the jurors listed. NOTE: At the conclusion of the term, file this judge certified list with other records of the term so that it will be available for if later requested for review.
Prepare identical blank slips of paper by writing on the slips names of each juror who qualified -- one name per slip.
Fold the slips of paper so the name on it cannot be seen and place the folded slips into individual, identical capsules like those described in 4.3.
Place the capsules in an appropriate container (rotating drum) and mix them thoroughly.
The clerk of court will designate a responsible and impartial person to draw the required number of twenty capsules one by one in the presence of the court or the juror names will be drawn by computer, subject to the provisions of Section § 14-7-140.
If the presiding judge so orders, up to six additional names may be drawn for the jury panel to serve as alternate jurors in cases that are anticipated to be tried over an extended period of time.
As the names are drawn, write each name and juror number on a trial jury list sheet which contains the caption for the case to be heard. This sheet should provide space for notations of plaintiff and defendant strikes.
Send at least five copies of the jury list to the courtroom with the bailiff who escorts the jury.
Keep the names of the jury panel drawn separate from those remaining in the drum until the end of the jury trial.
However, the names of jurors struck from the trial jury list can be returned to the drum for subsequent drawing.
Once a panel has been sent to a courtroom, the process of selecting a trial jury from the jury panel by way of plaintiff and defendant strikes, known as "voir dire," will take place. Each juror on the panel must be sworn prior to voir dire. Section § 14-7-1130 provides that a juror may make an affirmation instead of oath with regard to being sworn.
"Place your hand on the Bible (if no objection). You shall truthfully answer all questions asked of you concerning this matter now before the court, by the court, or order thereof. You shall speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help you God (if no objection)."
Distribute copies to the judge, the court reporter, plaintiff's attorney, defendant's attorney, and retain at least one copy for the use of the Clerk of Court.
After the attorneys review the list, each side will be allowed alternately to strike four jurors thereby reducing the jury panel of at least twenty to a trial jury of twelve. The plaintiff's attorney strikes first.
Note strikes by each side on the Clerk's list by placing a mark indicating juror stricken and by whom.
Read the names of the remaining jurors and have them seated in the jury box. The names of jurors stricken are returned to the jury pool.
"You shall well and truly try the issue joined in this case of Name of Plaintiff against Name of Defendant and give a true verdict according to the evidence. So help you God (if no objection)."
Prepare identical blank slips of paper by writing on the slips the names of each juror who qualified -- one name per slip.
The clerk of court will designate a responsible and impartial person to draw the capsules, one by one, in the presence of the court or the juror names may be drawn by computer, subject to the provisions of Section § 14-7-140.
The juror should come forward and face the prosecution and the defense. At which point the cerk will inquire of the solicitor, "What says the State?" The solicitor will respond with, "Present the juror" or "Excuse the juror." If the solicitor responds "Present the juror," the clerk will present the juror to the defense with the question of, "What says the Defense?" If the defense says, "Swear the juror," the juror should be directed to take a seat in the jury box. If the defense, or the solicitor when first asked, replies, "Excuse the juror," then the juror should be directed to return to his seat with the jury pool.
If either side says to excuse the juror, have the juror sit back with the jury pool and draw another name to repeat the process.
If both sides say to swear the juror, place the name on the jury list and ask the juror to sit in the jury box.
This process will continue until twelve jurors and alternates, if needed, are selected to be sworn.
Excused jurors' names should be set aside, separate from those to be sworn, to be returned to the jury pool after the jury is impaneled.
The slips of paper bearing the names of the sworn jurors should be kept separate from all others until after a verdict is reached.
"You shall well and truly try the case number Read Case Number, The State versus Defendant's Name, indicted for Read Charge, and render a true verdict according to the law and the evidence. So help you God (if no objection)."
When jurors conclude their terms of jury service, several tasks remain for the Clerk before closing the records on that jury. All jurors need to be paid and provided with official acknowledgment of their jury duty.
Establish and maintain attendance records to support requests for per diem payments for each juror.
Complete and forward to the county treasurer the forms necessary to cause the payment of jurors.
If jurors are not paid before they leave the courthouse, tell them how and when they can expect to be paid, and who they should contact if payment is not received within a reasonable period of time.
Employers frequently require that employees provide verification of jury duty for a specific period. Additionally, goodwill may be gained for the court by offering jurors a verbal or written note of appreciation for their service.
§ 14-17-310. Clerk shall make out roll of jurors and constables in attendance; certificates.
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA: I, A. B. Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions for __________ County, in the said State, do certify that __________ attended as a __________ juror (or actually served as a constable, as the case may be) for said county __________ days at __________ Term, A. D. __________, and is entitled to receive for the same __________ dollars, and ___ cents.
Such certificate shall be signed by the Clerk of Court, who shall issue the same, and be countersigned by the sheriff of the county. All certificates so issued and executed shall be valid.

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