Jury Commission

   UNION COUNTY JURY COMMISSION
  (1894-PRESENT)  

On April 23, 1894, the Ohio General Assembly passed an act creating jury commissions.  The commissions were appointed by the Common Pleas Court Judge and were composed of four members, one whom had to be an attorney, while no more than two could be a member of the same political party.  The commissioners select qualified electors from each of the voting precincts in proportion to their population.  The names were then drawn at random from a wheel for each term of the court and for special jury venires, for both grand and petit juries. 

  Union County Jury Commissioners  

On April 17, 1913, the Ohio General Assembly amended the provision in relation to the appointment of Jury Commissioners.  Section 11421 of the Ohio General Code now authorized the appointment of “two electors in each county, in which the common pleas court sits, not more than one of whom shall be of the same political party to be jury commissioners in the county…”  This arrangement remains to the current time as the commission is composed of one Republican representative and one Democratic representative both of whom are select by the Common Pleas Court Judge.  The commissioners, along with the Common Pleas Court Judge, Sheriff and Clerk of Courts are present when the jurors are selected.  Members of both the Petit and Grand Juries are selected at random from a list of registered voters provided by the County Board of Elections, through automated data processing equipment.  The Jury Commissioners set the date of the jury draw, but must have a completed annual list of jurors compiled no later than the first Monday of August of every year. 

  RECORDS OF THE UNION COUNTY JURY COMMISSION