BILL REQ. #:  H-1114.1 

Read first time 02/04/2005.   Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

     AN ACT Relating to jury source lists in counties with more than one superior court facility; amending RCW 2.36.055; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that superior courts with more than one superior court facility are asking some jurors to travel excessively long distances to attend court proceedings. In these cases, the legislature further finds that consideration of a juror's proximity to a particular courthouse can be accommodated while continuing to provide proportionate jury source list representation from distinctive groups within the community. The legislature intends to lessen the burdens borne by jurors fulfilling their civic duties by providing a mechanism that narrows the geographic area from which the jurors are drawn while maintaining a random and proportionate jury pool.

Sec. 2   RCW 2.36.055 and 1993 c 408 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:
     The superior court at least annually shall cause a jury source list to be compiled from a list of all registered voters and a list of licensed drivers and identicard holders residing in the county.
     In a county with more than one superior court facility and a separate case assignment area for each court facility, the jury source list may be divided into jury assignment areas that consist of registered voters and licensed drivers and identicard holders residing in each jury assignment area. Jury assignment area boundaries may be designated and adjusted by the administrative office of the courts based on the most current United States census data at the request of the majority of the judges of the superior court when required for the efficient and fair administration of justice.
     The superior court upon receipt of the jury source list shall compile a master jury list. The master jury list shall be certified by the superior court and filed with the county clerk. All previous jury source lists and master jury lists shall be superseded. In the event that, for any reason, a county's jury source list is not timely created and available for use at least annually, the most recent previously compiled jury source list for that county shall be used by the courts of that county on an emergency basis only for the shortest period of time until a current jury source list is created and available for use.
     Upon receipt of amendments to the list of registered voters and licensed drivers and identicard holders residing in the county the superior court may update the jury source list and master jury list as maintained by the county clerk accordingly.