Article 3. Jury Commissioners of California Penal Code >> Title 4. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 3.

Pursuant to written rules or instructions adopted by a majority of the judges of the superior court of the county, the jury commissioner shall furnish the judges of the court annually a list of persons qualified to serve as grand jurors during the ensuing fiscal year of the county, or until a new list of jurors is required. From time to time, a majority of the judges of the superior court may adopt such rules or instructions as may be necessary for the guidance of the jury commissioner, who shall at all times be under the supervision and control of the judges of the court. Any list of jurors prepared pursuant to this article must, however, meet the requirements of Section 899.

The jury commissioner shall diligently inquire and inform himself or herself in respect to the qualifications of persons resident in his or her county who may be liable to be summoned for grand jury duty. He or she may require a person to answer, under oath to be administered by him or her, all questions as he or she may address to that person, touching his or her name, age, residence, occupation, and qualifications as a grand juror, and also all questions as to similar matters concerning other persons of whose qualifications for grand jury duty he or she has knowledge. The commissioner and his or her assistants, referred to in Sections 69895 and 69896 of the Government Code, shall have the power to administer oaths and shall be allowed actual traveling expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Those traveling expenses shall be audited, allowed, and paid out of the general fund of the county.

Pursuant to the rules or instructions adopted by a majority of the judges of the superior court, the jury commissioner shall return to the judges the list of persons recommended by him for grand jury duty. The judges of the superior court shall examine the jury list so returned and from such list a majority of the judges may select, to serve as grand jurors in the superior court of the county during the ensuing year or until a new list of jurors is required, such persons as, in their opinion, should be selected for grand jury duty. The persons so selected shall, in the opinion of the judges selecting them, be persons suitable and competent to serve as jurors, as required by law.

The judges are not required to select any name from the list returned by the jury commissioner, but may, if in their judgment the due administration of justice requires, make every or any selection from among the body of persons in the county suitable and competent to serve as grand jurors regardless of the list returned by the jury commissioner.