The California Grand Jury System: A Review and Suggestions for Reform

Authors

A. Wells Peterson, University of the Pacific; McGeorge School of Law

Volume

5

Issue

1

Abstract

Suggestions for fundamental reform have recently been directed at virtually every phase of our judicial process, and the grand jury system has been no exception. During the current legislative session Assembly Bill 410 was introduced, proposing comprehensive reform of the California grand jury system. Although the bill failed to advance from committee to the Assembly floor, its proposed modifications were significant. Among the most dramatic proposals was the establishment of a bifurcated grand jury-one jury empaneled for the consideration and issuance of criminal indictments and anolher jury empaneled for the performance of civil investigatory functions. Herein, the author analyzes the past and present operation of the grand jury system in California and offers arguments in support of the major reform proposals which were embodied in Assembly Bill 410.

Recommended Citation

A. W. Peterson, The California Grand Jury System: A Review and Suggestions for Reform, 5 Pac. L. J. 1 (1974).
Available at: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/mlr/vol5/iss1/4