| Public
Act 12 of 2004 effective June 1, 2004 |
| Enrolled House Bill 5129 was recently signed
by Governor Granholm to take effect on June 1,2004. It effectively
modernizes the jury processes that courts and jury boards use to call
jurors to service. The amendments are as follows: MCL 600.1304a is amended to allow those jury boards currently using the historic method of slips of paper and a jury board box to continue doing so. MCL 600.1313 is amended to allow both the jury
questionnaire and the written summons to be provided together in the same
mailing. Additionally, if a qualifying questionnaire is returned
with an indication by the United States Postal Service that the person to
whom the questionnaire is addressed is deceased, the name shall be removed
from the first juror list and that information may be forwarded to the
local clerk. This allows for earlier elimination of deceased persons
from the list. MCL 600.1320 is amended to allow a deceased person's name to be removed from the second jury list and that information forwarded to the local clerk, it also allows the trial judge to grant deferrals of jury service to a person claiming a hardship. This amendment was previously found only in MCL 600.1374 and only applicable to those courts that adopted 1 day/l trial system. That section has been repealed. It has been moved to section 1320 and is now applicable to all jury systems.
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