In the event that any county of this state cannot obtain and select names for the jury pool by automated means pursuant to § 22-2-304, the county may utilize the alternate jury selection method set out in this section.

(1) On Monday, two (2) weeks before each jury service term, the jury coordinator shall unlock the jury box and break the seal of the jury box, and after well shaking the jury box, cause to be drawn from the jury box, in the presence of the witness, that number of names that the presiding judge of the judicial district has directed to be drawn, to constitute the jury pool for the jury service term. If the Monday two (2) weeks before the jury service term begins is a legal holiday, the jury coordinator may perform this function on the following business day.

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 22-2-305

  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • signed: includes a mark, the name being written near the mark and witnessed, or any other symbol or methodology executed or adopted by a party with intention to authenticate a writing or record, regardless of being witnessed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(2) In the event the name is drawn of a person known by the jury coordinator to no longer be qualified or competent to serve pursuant to § 22-1-101 or § 22-1-102, the name shall be put aside and not used, and another name shall be drawn instead. Should the jury coordinator, when drawing names from the jury box, overlook the names of persons who are incompetent or unqualified to serve, the presiding judge of the judicial district and the judge presiding over a trial in which those persons serve as jury panel members each shall have the authority to excuse those persons from jury service and direct that their names be withdrawn from the jury pool.
(3)

(A) Not more than five (5) days before the jury service term and not later than the first day of the jury service term, the jury coordinator and witness shall certify that the names drawn constitute the jury pool for the term by following the procedures in subdivision (3)(B).
(B) When the required number of names have been drawn for the jury pool, the original tickets or cards on which they have been written shall be placed in an envelope and with the original tickets or cards shall be enclosed a report prepared and signed by the jury coordinator and witness, a copy of which shall be retained by the jury coordinator for use under this chapter, substantially as follows:

To the Honorable ______________ , Presiding Judge of the ______________ Judicial District, at ______________ County:

I, ______________ , the jury coordinator for such county, and ______________ , who witnessed the selection of names, respectfully report the following names, which have been drawn according to law, arranged alphabetically and numbered, as shown on the original tickets or cards enclosed with this report, as the jury pool for the upcoming jury service term:

Names

No. ______________

No. ______________

No. ______________

We further report that in addition to the above list there were drawn from the jury box at the same time the following names of persons known to the jury coordinator to be unqualified or incompetent to serve (copying such names and numbers), and we enclose such original tickets or cards with this report separate from the other tickets or cards.

This the ______________ day of ______________, ______________.

______________

Jury Coordinator

______________

Witness

(C) The jury coordinator shall then seal the envelope containing the coordinator’s report and the original tickets or cards, address the envelope to the presiding judge of the judicial district, write the judge’s name across the sealing of the envelope, and deliver the envelope to the judge at the opening of the jury service term.
  Previous section
Next section  
 Part 3 Contents