A grand jury is a group of people who examine evidence presented by a prosecutor to decide whether to indict someone for a serious crime. State grand juries determine probable cause for indictment, while trial juries determine guilt. Every state court system in the US can use grand juries, but they may not convene regularly. The size and frequency of state grand juries vary by state. Jurors may serve for a month or up to a year, depending on the state.
A grand jury is a group of individuals chosen to examine evidence presented by a prosecutor and decide whether or not an indictment, which is a formal indictment, is in order. This procedure is generally followed for very serious criminal cases. In the United States, juries may convene for national cases or to handle state legal matters. A state grand jury is a grand jury assembled by a state court system.
Like those convened by a federal court, state grand juries are tasked with determining whether there is probable cause to indict an individual or group of individuals. This differs from trial juries, which are typically tasked with deciding whether or not an individual is guilty of a crime. Grand juries hear testimony and decide whether or not a person should be charged in the first place. A grand jury may also review evidence as part of investigating whether or not a crime has been committed and decide who should be charged with that crime.
In the United States, every state court system can use grand juries, although some may not convene them regularly. There are also other countries that use juries. However, they are not referred to as state grand juries, unless the country has subdivisions referred to as states and those subdivisions have court systems that use grand juries.
Often, the size of a state grand jury is different from that of a national grand jury. In the United States, for example, a grand jury usually consists of at least 16 but no more than 23 people. The size of a state grand jury typically depends on the state. For example, one state may convene grand juries that include 16 jurors while another may require 18 jurors. Some specify a range, such as between 12 and 16 jurors, while others may allow for a couple of different sized jurors, such as 11 or 19.
Typically, a state grand jury doesn’t meet every day. This differs from a trial jury which can meet every day until it has reached its verdict. Sometimes state juries may only meet once a week, every other week, or even once a month. In some cases, a state grand jury meets only occasionally. For example, it can only meet when a prosecutor has a case he wants to bring to him.
Interestingly, how often a state grand jury is convened does not determine how long a juror might serve the justice system. The mandate he serves depends on the state in question. A juror in one state may only serve for one month, while another state may require its jurors to serve for a full year.
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