Chap. 25.—An AC1 to amend and re-enact section 3976 of the Code of Virginia,
as amended and re-enacted by an act entitled an act to amend and re-enact sec-
tions 3976, 3974, and 3984 of the Code of Virginia, in relation to grand jurors,
approved February 25, 1890.

Approved July 28, 1902.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That section
thirty-nine hundred and seventy-six of the Code of Virginia, as amended
and re-enacted by an act approved February twenty-fifth, eighteen hun-
dred and ninety, be amended. and re-enacted so as to read as follows:

§ 3976. When and how grand jurors to be selected by judges of county
and corporation courts; lists to be delivered to clerk; when and how
jurors summoned.—The judge of the said courts shall annually, in the
month of August, select from the male citizens of their respective coun-
ties and cities forty-eight persons between the ages of twenty-one and
sixty, of honesty, intelligence, and good demeanor, and suitable in all
respects to serve as grand jurors, who shall be the grand jurors for the
county or city for twelve months next thereafter. Such jurors shall be
selected from the several magisterial districts of the counties and wards
of the cities in proportion to the population thereof, and the judge making
the selection shall at once furnish a list of those selected to the clerk of
his court. The clerk, not more than twenty days before the commence-
ment of each term of his court at which a regular grand jury is required,
shall issue a venire facias to the sheriff of his county or sergeant of his
city, commanding him to summon twelve of the persons selected as afore-
said, to be named in the writ, to appear on the first day of the court to
serve as grand jurors. No such person shall be required to appear more
than once until all the others have been summoned once, nor more than
twice until the others have been twice summoned, and so on. The clerk,
in issuing the venire facias, shall apportion the grand jurors, as nearly as
may be, ratably among the magisterial districts or wards: provided, that
the county court of James City county, or the judge thereof in vacation,
shall select the grand jurors for such court from said county and the city
of Williamsburg in proportion from each as he may think proper.

2. This act shall be in force from its passage.