House Study Bill 106



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON
                                            JUDICIARY BILL BY
                                            CHAIRPERSON PAULSEN)


    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to the size of a jury panel in a misdemeanor
  2    criminal case.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 1662YC 81
  5 jm/pj/5

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  903.7  SIZE OF JURY PANEL.
  1  2    A trial by jury that involves only a misdemeanor criminal
  1  3 offense shall be before a panel of six jurors.
  1  4                           EXPLANATION
  1  5    This bill relates to a misdemeanor jury trial.  Under the
  1  6 bill, a trial by jury that involves only a misdemeanor
  1  7 criminal offense shall be before a panel of six jurors.
  1  8    Current rules of criminal procedure provide that a jury
  1  9 panel shall consist of 12 jurors for an aggravated or serious
  1 10 misdemeanor trial, and six jurors for a simple misdemeanor
  1 11 trial.
  1 12    A jury verdict must be unanimous in order to convict a
  1 13 person of any criminal offense in this state.
  1 14 LSB 1662YC 81
  1 15 jm:nh/pj/5