Cada año, un juez elige a un grupo de personas de la comunidad para que sean jurados de gran jurado. Estas personas ayudan a decidir si hay suficiente evidencia para llevar un caso a juicio.
Es como cuando un profesor elige a algunos estudiantes para formar un equipo de debate. Solo selecciona a aquellos que cree que serán justos y capaces de ayudar a tomar decisiones.
Imagina que en el condado de Fairfax, el juez selecciona a 80 personas para ser jurados. Luego, el sheriff llama a 7 de ellos para que se presenten en la corte y decidan sobre un caso de robo. Estos ciudadanos escucharán las pruebas y decidirán si el acusado debe ser juzgado.
Va. Code § 19.2-194 - When and how grand jurors to be selected and summoned; lists to be delivered to clerk. The judge or judges regularly presiding in the circuit court of each county and city shall annually, in the month of June, July, or August, select from citizens of the county or city at least 60 persons and not more than 120 persons 18 years of age or over, of honesty, intelligence, impartiality, and good demeanor and suitable in all respects to serve as grand jurors, who, except as hereinafter provided, shall be the grand jurors for the county or city from which they are selected for the next 12 months. The judge or judges making the selection shall at once furnish to the clerk of the circuit court a list of those selected for that county or city. The clerk, not more than 20 days before the commencement of each term of his court at which a regular grand jury is required, shall issue a venire facias to the sheriff of his county or city, commanding him to summon not less than five nor more than nine of the persons selected as aforesaid (the number to be designated by the judge of the court by an order entered of record) to be named in the writ to appear on the first day of the court to serve as grand jurors. Those persons who are to be summoned shall be randomly selected but no such person shall be required to appear more than once until all the others have been summoned once, nor more than twice until the others have been twice summoned, and so on. The Circuit Court of James City County, or the judge thereof in vacation, shall select the grand jurors for each court from such county and the City of Williamsburg in such proportion from each as he may think proper. Any person who has legal custody of and is responsible for a child 16 years of age or younger or a per
Para ser jurado, debes ser un ciudadano de Virginia, tener al menos 18 años y ser una persona honesta y justa. También debes estar disponible para asistir al tribunal cuando se te llame.
Si no puedes asistir, debes informar al tribunal y puedes solicitar ser excusado. Hay razones válidas, como cuidar a un niño pequeño o tener una discapacidad, que te pueden liberar de esta responsabilidad.
No se te puede llamar más de una vez hasta que todos los demás hayan sido convocados. Esto asegura que todos tengan la oportunidad de servir como jurados de manera justa.
¿Necesita ayuda para analizar su caso?
Seguir Investigando →