Local Rule 3.090 (A)

IN THE EIGHTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF FLORIDA

Local Rule 3.090(A)

GENERATING RANDOMIZED JURY VENIRE IN UNION COUNTY

WHEREAS, the Chief Judge is responsible for the management and oversight of the jury system within the Eighth Judicial Circuit; and

WHEREAS, the clerks of the counties within the Circuit have specific responsibilities relating to the jury process including the summonsing and the selection lists of potential jurors; and     WHEREAS, the Union County Clerk has requested that the court permit the use of a new electronic method of drawing randomized jury venires from the list of potential jurors provided by Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and from filed affidavits pursuant to section 40.011, Florida Statutes; and

WHEREAS,  a majority of the circuit and county judges in the circuit have consented to the  proposed change in the procedure for drawing a jury venire in Union County;

THEREFORE, it is hereby

ORDERED that

1.         The Union County Clerk shall produce a list of potential jurors using the method for generating the randomized jury venires as described in the attachment.  The source of potential jurors is comprised from the list of licensed drivers and identification card holders in Union County provided by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and those persons who have filed affidavits pursuant to section 40.011, Florida Statutes.

2.         The Union County Clerk is designated the official custodian of the source data and shall ensure that the source data is accessible only to those persons directly involved in the selection of venires.

3.         The Dell 2600 computer and software, more specifically described in the attachment,  necessary to generate randomized jury venires from the source list shall be kept in the Union County Clerk’s Data Center and maintained by the Clerk.

4.       This order replaces Local Rule No. 3.090 “Selection of Jurors by Computer in Union County,” approved by the Florida Supreme Court on July 5, 1989.

                                                                CERTIFICATE

 I certify that  a majority of the circuit and county judges in the circuit have consented to the electronic method for drawing randomized jury venires  in Union County as described in this local rule and attachment, and request approval for the use of such method in Union County, Florida, by the Florida Supreme Court as required by section 40.225, Florida Statutes.

Dated this ______ day of _______________, 2007

/s/ Frederick D. Smith      

Frederick D. Smith, Chief Judge