CHAPTER 54

An Act to amend and reenact § 19-128 of the Code of Virginia, relating
to grand jurors.
[H 138]

Approved February 18, 1952

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 19-123 of the Code of Virginia be amended and reenacted as.
follows:

§ 19-123. When and how grand jurors to be selected and sum-
moned; lists to be delivered to clerk.—The judges of such courts shall
annually, in the month of June, July, or August, select from the * citizens
of each county of their respective circuits and in their several cities sixty
persons twenty-one years of age and upwards, of honesty, intelligence
and good demeanor and suitable in all respects to serve as grand jurors
who shall except as hereinafter provided be the grand jurors for the county
or city from which they are selected for twelve months next thereafter.
Such jurors shall be selected in each county from the several magisterial
districts of the county and in each city from the several wards of the city
in proportion to the population thereof. The judge making the selection
shall at once furnish to the clerk of his court in each county of his circuit
or in his city a list of those selected for that county or city. The clerk, not
more than twenty days before the commencement 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
not less than five nor more than seven of the persons selected as aforesaid
(the number to be designated by the judge of the court by an order
entered of record) 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.
No * citizen over seventy years of age shall be compelled to serve as a
grand juror. The clerk, in issuing the venire facias shall apportion the
grand jurors, as nearly as may be, ratable among the magisterial districts
or wards; but the circuit court of James City County, or the judge thereof
in vacation, shall select the grand jurors for such court from such county
and the city of Williamsburg in such proportion from each as he may
think proper.

The clerk shall immediately upon the selection of the grand jury list
advise in writing each woman whose name has been selected of the fact
that her name has been selected for such purpose and that her name will
‘be placed upon the list unless she notifies the clerk in writing fifteen (15)
‘days from the date of the notice sent by the clerk that she does not desire
her name to be placed upon the list. The clerk shall not include on the
grand jury list above mentioned the name of any woman who notifies the
clerk in writing within such fifteen-day period that she does not desire
her name to be placed upon the grand jury list.