Most people know what a grand jury does, at least on a basic level, but how are they chosen? What and who goes into deciding which citizens should serve on one and which ones shouldn’t?
There are two systems in place for grand jury selection. One is a random system, and one depends on jury commissioners to appoint grand jury members.
A random system has jurors chosen at random, from various lists kept by the state for other purposes, such as registered voters, driver’s license and state I.D. holders, and people who have applied for or collected unemployment benefits.
Most places in Texas use a system known as the Key Man System, and many people may be surprised to learn that while there are some objective criteria that each grand juror must meet, much of the decision on who serves is subjective, decided by the five jury commissioners, who are chosen by the judge.
