FINAL BILL REPORT

                  HB 2259

                          C 40 L 96

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Revising the procedure for impanelling juries.

Sponsors:  Representatives McMahan, Sheahan, Dellwo and Costa; by request of Administrator for the Courts.

House Committee on Law & Justice

Senate Committee on Law & Justice

Background:  To assist in the random selection of jurors, the law requires the court clerk to put the names of summoned jurors on separate ballots and deposit the ballots in a box.  The clerk is then to draw the required number of names for voir dire examination.

This procedure is considered unduly burdensome, particularly in large counties such as King County where approximately 250 jurors are called four days a week.  Many counties use automated systems to select jurors, in which a computer randomizes the names of jurors and selects a certain number to go to each courtroom.

In 1993, the Washington Supreme Court amended Criminal Rule 6.3, which simply requires juror selection to be random.

Summary:  Jurors must be selected at random from those summoned and not excused.  A voir dire examination of the jury panel must be conducted.  Provisions regarding the procedure for randomly selecting jurors are repealed, and no new method for randomly selecting jurors is prescribed.

Votes on Final Passage:

House     97 0

Senate    45 1

Effective:  June 6, 1996