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After watching even a handful of courtroom dramas, most people start to understand the concept of a trial jury: The trial jury consists of designated men and women who sit as observers in court and then determine the outcome of the case.<\/p>\n
People are much less clear about the \u201cgrand jury.\u201d To solve that, the following is a general overview of grand juries, but to understand how any jury may operate in a specific case, consult an attorney\u2014such as me.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a former prosecutor with an almost 90% acquittal rate<\/a> as defense lead counsel, and I have litigated dozens of criminal jury trials. If you\u2019re looking for a Grand jury defense lawyer Massachusetts<\/b>, I\u2019m here to guide you through the process<\/a>.<\/p>\n When you hear someone describe the \u201cgrand\u201d jury, you might picture something magnificent, imposing, and important (like the Grand Canyon). However, in French, grand<\/i> means \u201cbig.\u201d And that\u2019s the case when applied to juries. A grand jury is big.<\/p>\n In Massachusetts, a grand (big) jury has 23 members when everyone is in attendance, and they can\u2019t act with fewer than 13 jurors present. By contrast, a trial jury consists of 6 or 12 people. And in case you were wondering, yes, a trial jury is often called a \u201cpetit jury\u201d\u2014petit<\/i> being French for \u201csmall.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGrand\u201d simply refers to the size of the jury, not necessarily its importance relative to a trial jury.<\/p>\n A grand jury\u2019s job is not to determine if someone is guilty of a crime. Instead, the grand jury reviews evidence presented by a prosecutor. The defense isn\u2019t entitled to be there; I can\u2019t present witnesses or dispute the prosecutor\u2019s evidence.<\/p>\n The grand jurors then decide if there is \u201cprobable cause\u201d that a crime has been committed and the identified individuals likely committed that crime. If at least 12 grand jury members believe there is probable cause, then the grand jury issues an indictment (also called a \u201ctrue bill\u201d). The prosecutor presents the indictment to the judge\u2014which begins the formal prosecution of the defendant.<\/p>\n If the defendant goes to trial, a petit jury will hear evidence. Then, to convict the accused, this petit jury must decide that the defendant is guilty \u201cbeyond a reasonable doubt\u201d\u2014a much higher standard of proof than the standard used by the grand jury.<\/p>\n The grand jury standard (\u201cprobable cause\u201d) is lower than the standard at trial (\u201cbeyond a reasonable doubt\u201d).<\/p>\n Again, grand<\/i> means big, not special. In Massachusetts, anyone is eligible for grand jury duty if they are a citizen, they live in the state, and they are between 18 and 70 years old. Grand jurors are randomly selected in the same way that jurors are selected for a petit jury.<\/p>\n However, a trial juror only serves on one trial. Grand jurors typically serve for three months and potentially review many cases.<\/p>\nSaying It\u2019s a \u201cGrand\u201d Jury Doesn\u2019t Mean It\u2019s Spectacular<\/h2>\n
The Role of a Grand Jury<\/h2>\n
Who Sits on a Grand Jury<\/h2>\n
\n\nSchedule a Consultation<\/h2>\n\t\t
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