Questions about Grand Juries

[eek]

How are grand Jury panels selected?

How on earth are they kept out of the press and out of the clutches of Evil Forces that might want to influence or silence them?

When a trial (if that is the correct term) has ended are jurors allowed to talk about the trial?
Does that vary each time?

Thanks. Just curious how this fancy Law Stuff works.

eek

[Geoff R. Casavant]

1. My modest response

Keep in mind I don't practice criminal law, so these are at best educated guesses.

Folks get notices to report for Grand Jury duty just like regular jury duty. Not sure how candidates are selected or weeded out. Grand juries are usually empaneled for a period of months, but meet only one or a few days a week. Presumably they hear evidence related to different crimes presented by different prosecutors.

There is not much point in trying to influence a GJ, legally or illegally, since unlike a standard jury, indictment is not necessarily a one-shot deal. If a prosecutor does not get an indictment from one GJ, he is free to bring the evidence before another one (Earle did this with some of the DeLay charges).

I think GJ's are sworn to secrecy regardless of whether they hand down an indictment in a particular case or not.