94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2005 and 2006
HB0022

 

Introduced 12/3/2004, by Rep. Paul D. Froehlich

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
705 ILCS 305/10.2   from Ch. 78, par. 10.2
705 ILCS 305/10.3 new

    Amends the Jury Act. Provides that a juror personal history form and a juror profile form are confidential and are not public records. Provides that in no event shall any answer contained on a personal history or profile form be publicly disclosed by the court, any officer of the court, or any party authorized to have access to the form. Lists the persons who are entitled to examine a juror personal history or a juror profile form.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB0022 LRB094 01247 LCB 31247 b

1     AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Jury Act is amended by changing Section 10.2
5 and by adding Section 10.3 as follows:
 
6     (705 ILCS 305/10.2)  (from Ch. 78, par. 10.2)
7     Sec. 10.2. Excusing prospective jurors; hardship.
8     (a) The county boards of the respective counties, the jury
9 commissioners for those counties which have been appointed
10 under the Jury Commission Act, or a jury administrator shall
11 submit confidential questionnaires to prospective jurors to
12 inquire as to their qualifications for jury service and as to
13 the hardship that jury service would pose to the prospective
14 jurors. Upon prior approval by the chief judge of the judicial
15 circuits in which a county board, jury administrator, or jury
16 commissioners are situated, the county board, jury
17 administrator, or jury commissioners shall excuse a
18 prospective juror from jury service if the prospective juror
19 shows that such service would impose an undue hardship on
20 account of the nature of the prospective juror's occupation,
21 business affairs, physical health, family situation, active
22 duty in the Illinois National Guard or Illinois Naval Militia,
23 or other personal affairs, and cause his or her name to be
24 returned to the jury list or general jury list.
25     (b) When an undue hardship caused by a family situation is
26 due to the prospective juror being the primary care giver of a
27 person with a mental or physical disability, a person with a
28 medically diagnosed behavior problem, or a child under age 12,
29 then the county board, jury commissioners or jury administrator
30 shall excuse such a prospective juror, if it finds that no
31 reasonable alternative care is feasible which would not impose
32 an undue hardship on the prospective juror or the person for

 

 

HB0022 - 2 - LRB094 01247 LCB 31247 b

1 whom the prospective juror is providing care, or both.
2 (Source: P.A. 90-482, eff. 1-1-98; 91-264, eff. 7-23-99.)
 
3     (705 ILCS 305/10.3 new)
4     Sec. 10.3. Confidentiality of juror history. A juror
5 personal history form and a juror profile form are confidential
6 and are not public records. In no event shall any answer
7 contained on a personal history or profile form be publicly
8 disclosed by the court, any officer of the court, or any party
9 authorized to have access to the form. Those persons entitled
10 to examine a juror personal history or a juror profile form
11 shall include:
12     (1) the jury commission;
13     (2) the judge;
14     (3) the clerk of the court;
15     (4) the parties to a trial and their attorney, during the
16 jury selection process, but only including information
17 concerning jurors on the panel for that case; and
18     (5) those persons authorized access by court order.
19     Parties to a case and their attorneys may only examine the
20 forms after the conclusion of jury selection by an order of the
21 court in which the case is pending.