SAN FRANCISCO SUPERIOR COURT JUDGES ENCOURAGE SAN FRANCISCANS TO APPLY FOR THE CIVIL GRAND JURY

- sfsuperiorcourt.org
The San Francisco Superior Court is accepting applications for Civil Grand Jury service for the 2012-2013 term, Judge Charlotte Walter Woolard announced today.

“As Chair of the Court’s Civil Grand Jury Committee, I would like to encourage
San Franciscans to participate in this important civic opportunity,” Judge Woolard said. “To assure that San Francisco’s rich diversity is reflected in the membership of our Civil Grand Jury, the Court has reached out to many different communities.”

California is among a handful of states that have grand juries at the county level.

In California, the state Constitution requires each county to have at least one grand jury empanelled at all times.

“Serving on the Civil Grand Jury affords the citizens of our great City the opportunity to address inefficiencies in government operations and hold city officials accountable,” said Beate Boultinghouse, President of the San Francisco Chapter of the California Grand Jurors’ Association.

“It is important that members of all ethnic, racial and LGBT backgrounds volunteer to serve on the Civil Grand Jury so that they may contribute their voices and viewpoints for the betterment of our City.”

Last year, several Judges launched an effort to increase the diversity of Civil Grand Jury applicants with a focus on Asian-American (AA) communities. Members of the AA media attended the news conference and successfully helped the Court increase its AA applicants from 3 in 2010-11 to 12 in 2011-2012.

“I am delighted that everyone came through and committed to help the SF Superior Court in our efforts to recruit more AA to serve on the Civil Grand Jury,” Judge Sing said. “We anticipate that our broader outreach this year will yield similar results.

On behalf of the Judges on the San Francisco Bench, we are grateful to every individual and group who helps us achieve our goal of making sure the Civil Grand Jury is truly reflective of our City.”

This year, the Judges are expanding their diversity efforts to include African-American, LGBT, Latino and many other San Franciscans involved in civic and advocacy groups.

The application deadline is April 15, 2012. Eligibility requires applicants to be U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years old. Applicants also must have lived in the City and County for at least one year, among other requirements.

Visit www.sfsuperiorcourt.org and click on the Civil Grand Jury link for more information about the Civil Grand Jury and to obtain an application. For more information, contact Court Supervisor Gary Giubbini at (415)551-3605 (weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.) or by email at ggiubbini@sftc.org.

The Civil Grand Jury’s upcoming term runs from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013.

After initial screening, eligible applicants are interviewed before Superior Court Judges select a pool of 30 jurors. The 19 members of the grand jury are then selected randomly, with the remaining 11 individuals serving as alternates.

Generally, applicants must be prepared to devote at least 15 hours per week to
Civil Grand Jury service. The entire panel typically meets at the Civic Center Courthouse from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Mondays, and separate committee meetings are scheduled as necessary.

Members receive a $15 per diem for each meeting attended during the term.

The Civil Grand Jury Committee, appointed by Presiding Judge Katherine Feinstein, is comprised of Judge Woolard; Judge Angela Bradstreet; Judge Linda H. Colfax; Judge Gail Dekreon; Judge Samuel K. Feng; Judge Teri L. Jackson; Judge Jeffrey S. Ross; Judge Sing; Judge Donald J. Sullivan; Judge Richard B. Ulmer Jr.; and Commissioner Rebecca Wightman.