(a) No objection to an indictment on any ground going to the formation of the grand jury which found the same can be taken to the indictment except by a plea in abatement to the indictment, and no objection can be taken to an indictment by a plea in abatement except upon the ground that the grand jurors who found the indictment were not drawn by the officer designated by law to draw the same; but neither this objection nor any other can be taken to the formation of a special grand jury summoned by the direction of the court.
Terms Used In Alabama Code 15-15-40
Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
(b) No objection can be taken to an indictment, by plea in abatement or otherwise, on the ground that any member of the grand jury was not legally qualified, that the grand jurors were not legally drawn or summoned or on any other ground going to the formation of the grand jury except that the jurors were not drawn in the presence of the officers designated by law; and neither this objection nor any other can be taken to the formation of a special grand jury summoned by the direction of the court.
