Grand Jury recruitment occurs annually, typically starting right after the holidays and running from early January through mid-April. Each year the Superior Court solicits applications for citizens to serve on the Grand Jury.
Pursuant to the Penal Code, Title 4, Sections 888 et seq, the Superior Court is charged with nominating qualified citizens to serve as members of the Grand Jury. The Kern County Superior Court follows those procedures. The objective is to obtain a pool representative of the ethnic and cultural diversity of our county at large. The recruitment and selection of qualified jurors is the most critical factor in determining how effective any Grand Jury will become.
Citizens interested in Grand Jury service must submit an Application for Nomination. A background check is then made to determine if the applicant is qualified. A committee of Superior Court Judges interviews each qualified applicant to discuss their interests, qualifications, and the duties they will be expected to undertake. The Superior Court Judges make their nominations.
In the spring of each year, there is a drawing by the Clerk of the Court which reduces the list of prospective jurors to the thirty people who will be in the final drawing. In the third week of June of each year the final random drawing is held in Superior Court, Metropolitan Division, Department One. Before the drawing begins, the Presiding Judge identifies which members from the previous Grand Jury he or she wishes to hold over as members of the new Grand Jury. The law provides that the Presiding Judge may hold over as many as ten members from the previous Grand Jury. Once this is done, a drawing is held to select the rest of the 19-member jury plus alternates. The purpose of selecting alternates is so that they may replace any juror unable to complete a full term. The new Grand Jury is then sworn and instructed.
