Opinion ID: 1894244
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: juror qualifications

Text: Juror Curtis was convicted of mail fraud in 1978 under 18 U.S.C. § 1341 (1982). He was sentenced to thirty days in prison and placed on probation for four years, eleven months. At the time of this trial he was no longer on probation because, apparently, his probation termination date had passed. The qualifications of a petit juror are generally found at SDCL 16-13-10: Qualifications of jurors. All citizens of this state, who are registered to vote and of sound mind and who are able to read, write, and understand the English language, and not justices or clerks of the Supreme Court or a judge of the circuit court or any court of the United States, or a court of limited jurisdiction, or licensed attorneys, or clergymen as defined in § 19-13-16 when jury service conflicts with their religious beliefs and who have not been convicted of any felony unless restored to their civil rights and who are not subject to disability by the commission of any offense which by special provision of law does or shall disqualify them, are and shall be competent persons to serve on all grand and petit juries within their counties respectively. (emphasis added) Shamburgers argue that SDCL 16-13-10 does not exclude from jury service persons previously convicted of federal felonies who are no longer on probation or parole. Behrens argues that it does and that juror Curtis was disqualified. Even assuming Behrens' position is correct, Shamburgers' argument makes sense: it would be absurd to rule that a South Dakota felon statutorily restored to his civil rights by completion of his probation is a qualified juror, whereas a federal felon who had completed his probation was not a qualified juror sitting on a South Dakota jury. To hold that a federal felon is disqualified as a juror absent a demonstration that his civil status has been restored places an unreasonable burden on the system. To hold that the lack of such a demonstration can invalidate an otherwise valid verdict could be disastrous. We hold that a person who has been convicted of a felony under federal law is not automatically disqualified as a juror under SDCL 16-13-10 where circumstances demonstrate he is no longer under the jurisdiction or control of the federal criminal system. Likewise, juror Curtis was not disqualified as a juror because involvement in prior litigation does not constitute cause for disqualification under SDCL 16-13-10.