§ 500. Declaration of policy. It is the policy of this state that all litigants in the courts of this state entitled to trial by jury shall have the right to grand and petit juries selected at random from a fair cross-section of the community in the county or other governmental subdivision wherein the court […]
§ 501. Application of article. Except as otherwise provided, the provisions of this article shall apply to grand and petit jurors in all courts of the unified court system in which a jury may be drawn, whether such courts are of record or not of record.
§ 502. Commissioner of jurors. (a) The office of commissioner of jurors is hereby established for each county in the state except counties within cities having a population of one million or more. In counties within such cities the county clerk shall exercise the duties and have the powers of the commissioner of jurors. The […]
§ 503. County jury board. (a) There shall be established for each county a jury board composed as follows: 1. In counties outside cities having a population of one million or more, except in the counties of Albany, Westchester, Suffolk and Nassau, the county jury board shall consist of one justice of the supreme court […]
§ 504. Appointment and removal of commissioner of jurors. (a) Except in counties within cities having a population of one million or more, the county jury board, or a majority thereof, shall appoint a commissioner of jurors for a term of four years and shall fill any vacancy occurring in such office in the same […]
§ 505. Oath of office. Before entering upon the duties of his office a commissioner appointed under this article, and each deputy, assistant or employee, shall take the oath of office prescribed by law and file the same with the office of court administration and in the office of the county clerk without charge.
§ 506. Source of names. The commissioner of jurors shall cause the names of prospective jurors to be selected at random from the voter registration lists, and from such other available lists of the residents of the county as the chief administrator of the courts shall specify, such as lists of utility subscribers, licensed operators […]
§ 507. Random selection. The commissioner of jurors shall select the names of prospective jurors, or cause them to be selected, at random from the sources provided in section five hundred six. The selection may be accomplished by mechanical means or by any other method designed to implement the purposes of this article.
§ 508. Number to be selected. The commissioner of jurors shall draw at random for each term and each separate part of a term of court at which issues are triable by jury, such number of petit jurors and such number of grand jurors as he believes necessary, unless otherwise specified by order of the […]
§ 509. Qualification of jurors. (a) The commissioner of jurors shall determine the qualifications of a prospective juror on the basis of information provided on the juror’s qualification questionnaire. The commissioner of jurors may also consider other information including information obtained from public agencies concerning previous criminal convictions. The commissioner may require the fingerprinting of […]
§ 510. Qualifications. In order to qualify as a juror a person must: 1. Be a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the county. 2. Be not less than eighteen years of age. 3. Not have been convicted of a felony. 4. Be able to understand and communicate in the English language.
§ 513. Form of questionnaire. The questionnaire to be filled out by prospective jurors shall be in such form as the chief administrator of the courts may prescribe.
§ 516. Commissioner of jurors to summon jurors. The commissioner of jurors shall summon each juror drawn for jury service by serving upon him a summons and specifying the place where and the time when he is required to attend. The summons may be served by mail, or the commissioner may direct the sheriff to […]
§ 517. Excuses and postponements. (a) (1) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph two of this subdivision, the commissioner of jurors may, in his or her discretion, on the application of a prospective juror who has been summoned to attend, excuse such prospective juror from a part or the whole of the time of jury […]
§ 518. Discharge by the court. The court shall discharge a person from serving as a trial or a grand juror whenever it satisfactorily appears that he or she is not qualified.
§ 519. Right of juror to be absent from employment. Any person who is summoned to serve as a juror under the provisions of this article and who notifies his or her employer to that effect prior to the commencement of a term of service shall not, on account of absence from employment by reason […]
§ 519-a. Right of sequestered jurors to be provided with food conforming to religious tenets. 1. Every juror shall have the right to be provided upon request meals consisting of food or food products prepared in accordance with the religious requirements of the person when meals would be otherwise provided during any period in which […]
§ 520. Trial jurors to serve in other parts, terms or courts. Trial jurors drawn for service pursuant to the provisions of this article may serve as trial jurors in any term or part of the same court when it sits in terms or parts, or in any other court in the same county or […]
§ 521. Fees and travel expenses of jurors. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b) of this section, trial and grand jurors in each court of the unified court system shall be entitled to an allowance equal to the sum of forty dollars per day for each and every day of physical attendance wherein the […]
§ 521-a. Fees of trial jury. In any action or special proceeding in a court of the unified court system that requires a juror’s physical attendance for more than thirty days, the court, by an order entered into the minutes, shall notify the commissioner of jurors of such service. The commissioner of jurors, upon receipt […]
