- (a) When at least 16 qualified grand jurors are found to be present, the court shall select 12 fair and impartial persons as grand jurors and 4 additional persons as alternate grand jurors to serve on disqualification or unavailability of a grand juror during the term of the grand jury. The grand jurors and the alternate grand jurors must be randomly selected from a fair cross section of the population of the area served by the court.
(a-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (a), in a county with a population of less than 1,000, grand jurors may be randomly selected from a fair cross section of the population of one or more counties contiguous to and within the same judicial district as the summoning county who:
- (1) hold a valid Texas driver's license or a valid personal identification card or certificate issued by the Department of Public Safety; and
- (2) are not disqualified from grand jury service under Article 19A.101(a)(1), (2), or (7).
- (b) The court shall impanel the grand jurors and alternate grand jurors, unless a challenge is made to the array or to a particular person presented to serve as a grand juror or an alternate grand juror.
- (c) A grand juror is considered to be impaneled after the grand juror's qualifications have been tested and the grand juror has been sworn.
Added by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 469 (H.B. 4173), Sec. 1.03, eff. January 1, 2021.
Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1110 (H.B. 4749), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2025.