Sen. Iris Y. Martinez

Filed: 3/17/2014

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 977

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 977 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The Jury Act is amended by changing Section 2
5as follows:
 
6    (705 ILCS 305/2)  (from Ch. 78, par. 2)
7    Sec. 2. At the September meeting of the county board in
8each year in the respective counties in this State, except
9those that have jury commissioners, the board shall select from
10the list the number of persons as the judges of the circuit
11courts, to be held in the county during the succeeding year,
12may by joint action determine to serve as petit jurors. In
13counties having jury commissioners, the persons to serve as
14petit jurors shall be selected by the jury commissioners, as
15provided by law. County boards, a jury administrator, and jury
16commissioners may utilize the services of the Administrative

 

 

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1Office of the Illinois Courts in making these selections.
2Jurors in all counties in Illinois must have the legal
3qualifications herein prescribed. Jurors must be:
4    (1) Inhabitants of the county.
5    (2) Of the age of 18 years or upwards.
6    (3) Free from all legal exception, of fair character, of
7approved integrity, of sound judgment, well informed, and able
8to understand the English language, whether in spoken or
9written form, or interpreted into sign language, or, if English
10is not the juror's predominant language, interpreted or
11translated into the juror's predominant language.
12    (4) Citizens of the United States of America.
13(Source: P.A. 90-482, eff. 1-1-98.)
 
14    Section 10. The Jury Secrecy Act is amended by changing
15Section 1 as follows:
 
16    (705 ILCS 315/1)  (from Ch. 78, par. 36)
17    Sec. 1. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), whoever
18knowingly and wilfully, by any device or means whatsoever
19records or attempts to record, the proceedings of a petit jury
20in any court of the State of Illinois while the jury is
21deliberating or voting, or listens to or observes, or attempts
22to listen to or observe, the proceedings of any petit jury of
23which he is not a member in any court of the State of Illinois
24while the jury is deliberating or voting, shall be guilty of a

 

 

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1Class A misdemeanor. However, if any juror is deaf or hard of
2hearing or any juror's predominant language is not English, the
3juror may be accompanied by and may communicate with a court
4appointed interpreter throughout any period during which the
5jury is sequestered or engaged in its deliberations. If the
6jury foreman reasonably believes that the interpreter is doing
7more than interpreting, nothing in this Act shall prevent him
8or her from petitioning the court and requesting that the
9interpreter be replaced with another interpreter.
10    (b) A petit juror in any court of the State of Illinois
11shall be entitled to take notes in connection with and solely
12for the purpose of assisting him in the performance of his
13duties as juror, and the sheriff of the county in which such
14juror is serving shall provide writing materials for that
15purpose. Such notes shall remain confidential, and shall be
16destroyed by the sheriff after the verdict has been returned or
17a mistrial declared.
18(Source: P.A. 88-27.)".