Juries Act, 1927

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Selection of jury from jurors on panel.

47.—(1) Whenever a panel of jurors has been summoned to attend a Court during any sittings, the registrar of that Court shall, before the day in that sittings on which such jurors are summoned to attend, be provided by the summoning officer with a sufficient number of cards of a convenient size and shape, all such cards being as nearly as possible of the same size, shape, material, and colour, and having written thereon the names, addresses, and descriptions of the jurors entered on the panel and their number on the panel, the name, address, description, and number of one juror only being written on each card, and such registrar shall have such cards in Court whenever a jury is required to be drawn from such panel.

(2) Whenever during any such sittings a jury drawn from such panel is required for the trial of an issue, the registrar shall unless the Judge otherwise directs call over in open court the names of all jurors entered on such panel and not marked “not served” and not for the time being exempted from attendance, and every juror, if then and there present, shall answer his name when he is called and as he answers the registrar shall place the card containing his name in a box in the nature of a ballot box to be provided for the purpose.

(3) If any such juror does not answer his name on any such calling over the Judge shall impose on him a fine of three pounds unless the Judge is satisfied that there was a reasonable and sufficient cause for the non-attendance of such juror, and whenever the Judge is so satisfied he shall exempt such juror from attendance during the residue or so much as he shall think fit of the residue of the sittings to which the panel relates.

(4) When such calling over is completed the registrar shall shake or shuffle the cards in the said box so as to mix the said cards thoroughly and shall then draw such cards out of the said box one by one and as he draws out each such card he shall call out the juror's name written thereon and thereupon such juror shall enter the jury box.

(5) So soon as a number of jurors sufficient, having regard to probable challenges and standings-by, to form a jury have been assembled in the jury box pursuant to the foregoing sub-section, the registrar shall proceed to swear such jurors in the order in which the cards containing their names were drawn out of the said box and the juror first so sworn shall be the foreman of the jury.

(6) If, by reason of challenges, standings-by, or any other cause, it is found that there are not sufficient jurors assembled in the jury box, the necessary additional jurors shall be obtained by the registrar drawing cards out of the said box in the like manner in all respects as the original jurors were obtained.