Juries act, 1927

• Act Number: 23
• Enactment Date: 26 May 1927

Number 23 of 1927.
JURIES ACT, 1927.
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
PART I.
Qualification and Liability for Service as Juror.
Section 1. Jury districts. 2. Minimum rating qualification. 3. Qualification and liability for jury service. 4. Disqualification for jury service. 5. Exemption from jury service.
PART II.
Registration of Jurors.
6. Definitions in relation to Part II. 7. Inclusion of jurors lists in registers of electors. 8. Place of registration of jurors. 9. Additional duties of rate collectors and registration officers. 10. Appeals in relation to jurors lists. 11. Expenses of execution of Part II. of Act. 12. Amendment of section 12 of Electoral Act, 1923.
PART III.
Jurors Lists.
13. Preparation of draft jurors lists. 14. Form and contents of draft jurors lists. 15. Revision and settlement of draft jurors lists. 16. Inclusion of certain exempted persons in jurors' lists on request. 17. Expenses in relation to draft jurors lists.
PART IV.
Preparation of Jurors Books.
18. Definitions in relation to Part IV. 19. Preparation of jurors books. 20. Contents of jurors books. 21. Commencement and duration of jurors books. 22. Exhaustion of jurors books. 23. Jurors books on subdivision or amalgamation of jury districts. 24. Non-availability of new jurors book. 25. Review of jurors books.
PART V.
Procedure for Securing Attendance of Jurors in Court.
26. Definitions in relation to Part V. 27. Provisions for transition period. 28. The empanelling officer. 29. The summoning officer. 30. Performance of certain duties heretofore performed by Under-Sheriffs. 31. Juries for the High Court. 32. Juries for the Central Criminal Court. 33. Juries for Circuit Court. 34. Preparation of panel of jurors. 35. Preparation of panel of jurors from several districts. 36. Requisition for panel of jurors for High Court. 37. Time for preparation of panel of jurors for Central Criminal Court. 38. Time for preparation of panel of jurors for Circuit Court. 39. Summoning of jurors. 40. Preparation of jurors summonses. 41. Service of jurors summonses by Gárda Síochána. 42. Mode of service of jurors summonses. 43. Proof of service of jurors summonses. 44. Service of jurors summonses by post. 45. Preparation and summoning of supplemental panel. 46. Calling over of panel. 47. Selection of jury from jurors on panel. 48. Exemption of jurors by judge. 49. Relief of jurors from unnecessary attendance. 50. Publication and supply of copies of panel. 51. Recovery of fines on jurors. 52. Mode of swearing a jury. 53. Administration of oath to jurors. 54. Forms of oaths to be taken by jurors. 55. Abolition of challenges to the array. 56. Challenges to the polls. 57. Challenges without cause shown. 58. Challenges for cause shown. 59. Standing-by by Attorney-General. 60. View juries. 61. Heating and refreshments for jurors. 62. Payment of jurors. 63. Separation of jurors during trial. 64. Death or illness of juror during trial. 65. Application of Part V. to certain cases.
PART VI.
General.
66. Abolition of special and common juries. 67. Non-application of Act to coroners' inquests. 68. Expenses of execution of Act. 69. Prescription by the Minister. 70. Repeals. 71. Definitions. 72. Short title.
FIRST SCHEDULE.
Persons Exempted from Serving as Jurors.
PART I.
Persons Absolutely Exempted.
PART II.
Persons Exempted but Entitled to Serve on Appllication.
SECOND SCHEDULE.
Enactments Repealed
Acts Referred to Electoral Act, 1923 No. 12 of 1923 Court officers Act, 1926 No. 27 of 1926 Criminal Justice (Administration) Act, 1924 No. 44 of 1924 Juries (Dublin) Act, 1926 No. 37 of 1926 Juries (Amendment) Act, 1924 No. 18 of 1924
Number 23 of 1927.
JURIES ACT, 1927.
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW RELATING TO JURIES. [26th May, 1927.]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS OF SAORSTÁT EIREANN AS FOLLOWS:—
PART I. Qualification and Liability for Service as Juror.
	Jury districts.	1.—(1) Every county borough shall be a jury district for the purposes of this Act.
	(2) Every county shall be a jury district for the purposes of this Act save during such time as an order under this section dividing such county into more than one jury district is in force.
	(3) The Minister may by order from time to time as and when he shall think fit divide any county into two or more jury districts, and while any such order is in force each of the jury districts delimited thereby shall be a jury district for the purposes of this Act.
	(4) The Minister may at any time, as and when he shall think fit, by order revoke or vary any order made under the foregoing sub-section.
	(5) An order made under either of the foregoing sub-sections may be expressed to operate as from any date subsequent to the date of the order named therein for the purpose and whenever any such date is so named the order shall come into force on the date so named.
	Minimum rating qualification.	2.—(1) The Minister shall by order prescribe for every jury district the rateable value of land which is to be the minimum rating qualification for jurors in that jury district and may by any such order prescribe different rateable values in respect of different classes of land.
	(2) The Minister may from time to time as and when he thinks fit by order vary the rateable value prescribed by him under this section in respect of land or any class or classes of land in any jury district.
	(3) The rateable value or several rateable values for the time being prescribed under this section in respect of any jury district shall be the minimum rating qualification for jurors in that jury district.
	(4) Whenever a county is by order made under this Act divided into two or more jury districts the rateable value or several rateable values which immediately before the making of such order was or were the minimum rating qualification for jurors in the jury district co-terminous with such county shall, until otherwise provided by order made under this section, be the minimum rating qualification for jurors in every of the jury districts into which such county is so divided.
	Qualification and liability for jury service.	3.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, every citizen of the age of twenty-one years or upwards and under the age of sixty-five years who, either in his own name or in a tradename and whether alone or jointly with any other person or persons or as a member of a firm or co-partnership, is rated for the relief of the poor in respect of land in a jury district shall, if the total rateable value of all the land in respect of which he is so rated in such jury district equals or exceeds the minimum rating qualification for such jury district, be qualified and liable to serve as a juror for the trial of all or any issues which are for the time being triable with a jury drawn wholly or partly from such jury district, unless he is for the time being disqualified for or exempt from serving as a juror.
	(2) Subject to the provisions of this section, every male citizen of the age of twenty-one years or upwards and under the age of sixty-five years who is not qualified and liable to serve as a juror by virtue of the foregoing sub-section and whose wife is rated for the relief of the poor in respect of land in a jury district shall, if the total rateable value of all the land in respect of which his wife is so rated in such jury district equals or exceeds the minimum rating qualification for such jury district, be qualified and liable to serve as a juror for the trial of all or any issues triable with a jury drawn wholly or partly from such jury district, unless he is for the time being disqualified for or exempt from serving as a juror or he proves to the satisfaction of the registration officer that he never had any interest in such land and did not directly or indirectly provide any of the purchase money thereof and that he has not a separate income, earned or unearned, sufficient for his own maintenance.
	(3) A person who is qualified and liable to serve as a juror in respect of two or more jury districts shall be entitled, on application to the registration officer or officers concerned, to be exempted from his liability to serve as a juror in respect of all such jury districts save one thereof and such one shall be, if such person is registered as a Dáil elector in any one of such jury districts, the jury district in which he is so registered and, if he is not registered as a Dáil elector in any of such jury districts, such one of such jury districts as he shall select.
	(4) A person shall not be qualified or liable to serve as a juror in respect of a jury district unless he is entered as a Dáil or a local government elector in the register of electors for such jury district.
	Disqualification for jury service.	4.—Any person who has been or shall be convicted of treason or treason felony or of any felony or of perjury shall, unless he has or shall have obtained a free pardon therefor, be absolutely disqualified from serving as a juror.
	Exemption from jury service.	5.—The persons specified in the First Schedule to this Act shall...