Jury selection: acknowledgment and agreement., the official text

An act to amend Section 232 of the Code of Civil Procedure, relating to juries.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

The Trial Jury Selection and Management Act requires all persons be selected for jury service at random and from sources inclusive of a representative cross section of the population of the area served by the court. Existing law requires a trial judge to examine the prospective jurors in jury trials. Existing law gives the counsel for each party, after this initial examination, the right to examine any of the prospective jurors, as specified, in order to enable counsel to intelligently exercise both peremptory challenges and challenges for cause. Existing law requires, prior to the examination of prospective trial jurors in the panel assigned for voir dire, a specified perjury acknowledgment and agreement to be obtained from the prospective jurors. Existing law requires, after the selection of the trial jury is completed, another specified acknowledgment and agreement to be obtained from the trial jurors.
This bill would revise the acknowledgment and agreements obtained from the jury panel prior to the examination of prospective trial jurors assigned for voir dire and after the completion of selection of trial jurors.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.
Section 232 of the Code of Civil Procedure is amended to read:
232.
(a) Prior to the examination of prospective trial jurors in the panel assigned for voir dire, the following perjury acknowledgment and agreement shall be obtained from the panel, which shall be acknowledged by the prospective jurors with the statement “I do”:
“Do you understand and agree, under penalty of perjury, that you will accurately and truthfully answer all questions about your qualifications and ability to serve as a juror in this case, and that failure to do so may result in criminal prosecution?”
(b) As soon as the selection of the trial jury is completed, the following acknowledgment and agreement shall be obtained from the trial jurors, which shall be acknowledged by the statement “I do”:
“Do you understand and agree that you will carefully consider the case being heard in this court, and that you will reach a verdict based only on the evidence presented to you and the instructions on the law given by the court?”