(a) It shall be the duty of the clerk of the court at the commencement of each week at which any cause is to be tried by a jury to write the name of each petit juror summoned and retained for that week on a separate ticket, and put the whole into a box or other place for safekeeping; and as often as it shall be necessary to impanel a jury, the clerk, sheriff or coroner shall, in the presence of the court, draw by chance 12 names (or 14 where alternate jurors are required) out of such box or other place, which shall designate the persons to be sworn on the jury, and in the same manner for the second jury, in their turn, as the court may order and direct. The attorney for any party litigant in any cause assigned to jury trial shall have the right to be present in person at the time and place when the random selection of jurors for trial of said cause is drawn by lot to be assigned to the trial judge for voir dire examination; a party litigant whose attorney is present at the selection process waives any objection to the selection procedure unless the same is asserted prior to the time any prospective juror is called for voir dire examination.
     (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), names of jurors may be randomly drawn by computer.

Terms Used In Illinois Compiled Statutes 705 ILCS 305/20

  • Juror: A person who is on the jury.
  • sworn: shall be construed to include the word "affirmed. See Illinois Compiled Statutes 5 ILCS 70/1.12
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • Voir dire: The process by which judges and lawyers select a petit jury from among those eligible to serve, by questioning them to determine knowledge of the facts of the case and a willingness to decide the case only on the evidence presented in court. "Voir dire" is a phrase meaning "to speak the truth."