LOCAL RULE NO. 4

SELECTION OF JURORS BY COMPUTER IN HIGHLANDS COUNTY

WHEREAS the present method of selecting jurors can be more efficiently completed without loss of the sanctity of random selection by the use of the electronic computer available for use by Highlands County, and

WHEREAS the source of such selection is from the Highlands County driver license list, as provided by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), which is in computer compatible form and under the custody and control of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Highlands County, it is therefore

RESOLVED that the Rules of the Tenth Judicial Circuit for procedure in all courts of Highlands County in which jury trials are held shall be amended to include this additional Rule adopting the following alternative plan for the selection of persons for grand jury or petit jury service:

1. EQUIPMENT: The equipment used in jury selection is an NCR 3555 UNIX computer located in the secured computer room of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Highlands County.

2. ALTERNATE METHOD OF SELECTION VENIRE:

(a) The source from which names shall be taken is the DHSMV list of licensed drivers in Highlands County, a copy of which is provided and certified on a quarterly basis by the DHSMV.

(b) The Clerk of the Court of Highlands County is designated the official custodian of the copy of the driver’s license list provided specifically for venire selection and shall ensure that it is not accessible to anyone other than those directly involved in the selection of venires, as herein provided. Functions of the Clerk of the Court may be performed by Deputy Clerks.

(c) The Clerk of the Court shall cause Highlands County petit and grand jury venires to be selected from the certified driver’s license list programmed into the highlands County computer using the method described below in accordance with directions received from the Chief Judge of the designated representative of the Chief Judge.

METHOD OF SELECTION

Prospective jurors are selected from the DHSMV driver’s license ifie by using randomizing software supplied by Dr. G. Marsaglia and B. Narasimhan, Florida State University, and rewritten in visual basic by Creative Data Solutions, Inc.

The steps of selection are:

1. A sequential number is attached to every eligible Highlands County licensed driver file.

2. Four seed numbers are used to randomly select the sequential numbers of those jurors who will form the needed venire.

3. Jurors who were previously called, but were deferred from service, are automatically selected for their new week of service.

STATE OF FLORIDA

COUNTY OF HIGHLANDS

CERTIFICATE

I hereby certify that the majority of the judges authorized to conduct jury trials in Highlands County, Florida, has consented to the use of the electronic system, which is described in Local Rule No. 4, attached hereto, and requests approval for the use of such system in Highlands County, Florida, by the Supreme Court of Florida, as required by Chapter 40.225, Florida Statutes.

DATED this 15th day of September, 1997.

CHARLES A. DAVIS, JR.

Chief Judge

Tenth Judicial Circuit

Attachment : The random generation code. (PDF Format - Large File)