Get CA Grand Jury Fact Sheet 2015

A grand jury is a jury a group of citizens empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings and investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify.

An important role of the federal criminal process is the grand jury. The main purpose of a grand jury is to decide whether an individual should be charged (or indicted ) for a specific crime, usually only serious crimes.

My Case is Going to a Grand Jury. ... The main purpose of a grand jury is to decide whether an individual should be charged (or indicted ) for a specific crime, usually only serious crimes. Because of the purpose of this proceeding, it is usually one of the first procedures in a criminal trial.

The prosecutor gives the jurors a "bill" of charges, and then presents evidence, including witnesses, in order to obtain an indictment. ... If the grand jury indicts a defendant based on the evidence presented, it returns a "true bill". If the grand jury decides not to indict, it returns a "no bill."

A grand jury may be presented with a bill of indictment, before or after a warrant of arrest on an indictable charge, at the discretion of a district attorney. He or she then presents evidence and witnesses to prove the charge. ... If a "No True Bill" is presented by a grand jury, the case is usually dropped.

Jurors are randomly selected by the court. The eligibility of a potential juror for the grand jury is determined through a questionnaire that must be completed with full honesty. If eligible, the juror is then summoned by the court for duty. ... But in a grand jury, the judge asks selective questions.

The statute of limitations is five years for most federal offenses, three years for most state offenses. The federal and state grand juries are impaneled for a specific period of time; however, if they do not reach a conclusion on your case, the prosecutor can start over with the newly impaneled grand jury.

The statute of limitations is five years for most federal offenses, three years for most state offenses. The federal and state grand juries are impaneled for a specific period of time; however, if they do not reach a conclusion on your case, the prosecutor can start over with the newly impaneled grand jury.

The prosecutor gives the jurors a "bill" of charges, and then presents evidence, including witnesses, in order to obtain an indictment. ... If the grand jury indicts a defendant based on the evidence presented, it returns a "true bill". If the grand jury decides not to indict, it returns a "no bill."

Jurors are randomly selected by the court. The eligibility of a potential juror for the grand jury is determined through a questionnaire that must be completed with full honesty. If eligible, the juror is then summoned by the court for duty. ... But in a grand jury, the judge asks selective questions.

The definition of a grand jury is a large group of people who investigate a crime and decide if there is evidence for a trial. An example of a grand jury is the group, lead by Ken Starr, that investigated president Bill Clinton. "Grand jury."

Grand juries hear cases from prosecutors all day long, and all different types of criminal cases. Usually the cases are felonies. The grand jury physically sits in a college lecture type of room in the same building as the prosecutor's office.

Grand jury. ... A grand jury is a jury a group of citizens empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings and investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify.

The grand jury plays an important role in the criminal process, but not one that involves a finding of guilt or punishment of a party. Instead, a prosecutor will work with a grand jury to decide whether to bring criminal charges or an indictment against a potential defendant -- usually reserved for serious felonies.

Whereas a trial jury reaches a verdict on whether the accused is convicted or acquitted, a grand jury can decide whether to bring charges via a written indictment. The federal grand jury hears evidence presented by a federal prosecutor. ... Then, other members of the grand jury may question the witness.