The Orange County Superior Court, facing a Jan. 18 deadline for applications, is “urgently” seeking men and women to serve on the 2013-2014 grand jury.
“To date, the Court has received far fewer applications than in the past four years and is well short of the 150-200 applications usually submitted for consideration,” according to an announcement this week from Glenda Sanders, assistant presiding judge and chairwoman of the grand jury recruitment and selection committee.
Nineteen grand jurors will be selected to serve one-year terms and write reports evaluating local government bodies, including county departments and agencies as well as cites, schools and special districts.
Grand jurors also consider evidence for possible indictment in felony cases. They’re paid $50 a day to a maximum of $250 a week and are reimbursed for mileage.
Each qualified applicant is interviewed by two Superior Court judges and is screened through a background check by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Names of the top 30 applicants go into a pool, and by law 19 grand jurors are selected by random drawing.
To qualify, an applicant must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old and a resident of Orange County for at least a year. In addition, applicants must be able to speak and write English and possess “sound judgment, good character, and a sense of fairness.”
To obtain an application or more information, visit the grand jury website or call the grand jury office at 714-834-6747. Applications also may be picked up at the jury commissioner’s office, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana.