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24 Panel 1 (1950)

handle is hein.journals/panelmbu24 and id is 1 raw text is: THE PAN EL To Increase the effectiveness of the Grand Jury System PUBLISHED BY GRAND JURY ASSOCIATION NEW YORK COUNTY FUND CORPORATION VOL. 24 FEBRUARY, 1950 NO.I Bills Supported by Association Become [aw By MANUEL LEE ROBBINS Chairman, Legal Committee The year 1949 was a climactic one in legislation affecting the work of grand juries in New York State and City. The Grand Jury Association of New York County was instru- nlental in the enactment of four new laws dealing with waivers of immunitv, cremation permits, adoption practices and New York City waterfront activities. This year the Association will muster the widest possible civic influence in support of several measures which fell by the wayside last year. Waiver of Immunity Successful culmination of the Association's three-year cam- paign to plug a loophole in the State constitution on waivers of immunity was the paramount leg- islative achievement of 1949. It came last November when the voters ratified Amendment No. 4, initiated by the Association, passed by the last two legislatures, and signed by the Governor. Under the new amendment to Article 1 Section 6, any public of- ficer removed from office for re- fusing to sign a waiver of im- inunity when summoned before a grand jury shall be ineligible for election or appointment to any other public office for live ycars. Prior to the amendment the constitution simply provided that officials who refused to waive immunity could be removed from office. But a Court of Appeals de- cision held that nothing in the law of the state prevented an official so removed from accept- (Continued on page 10) Appreciation from lion. David W. Peck F', u ! 'ii I; .lK, ti ite / in Fnst Dept. Sit p ni Court, State of .Now York Life, liberty, property, and tie protection of all public and pri- vate rights, are dependent on the proper administration of justice. Ve have a democratic admin- istration of justice in which the jury systel is a bulia'k and test of our democracy in action. The quality of this justice in the main depends on the quality of the judgment o th men and xosnen who serveas jurors. If quaified citizens avoid jury duty or fail to serve, their disservice will be reflected in the quality of Justice. Tile nily way in vhich the practical deal of the jury systen can be realized is for low. DAVID W. PEcK 11 qualified citizens to share in its blessings and responsibilities. Self interest as well as the public interest require the serv- ice of those citizens who, though involved with many affairs, are apt to slight their obligation to render jury service. There should be a new fashion in citizenship -which evi dences itself by everyone performing jury service. At this time, more than ever, we should be earnest about our Ameri- canl way of doing things, with e% eryone taking part in making the system work. The Grand Jury Association New York County Fund Ccrporation has undertaken to broaden the scope of its pro- gram of public education for jury service by an appeal for all to serve. This is a most important and vital undertaking and deserves the wiarm support of all civic-minded citizens. SUMMARY O[ DISTRICI AITORM I HOGA 'S RIPORI The County of New York, island of the greatest concen- tration, greatest wealth, greatest culture, and greatest splendor, in keeping with its supvrlatives, presents a law enforcement problem of great magnitude. 'This, of course, means that the New York City Police Department and the District Attorney's office must be geared to combat this unusual situation, both numerically and in point of efficiency. Here 2,000,000 residents of heterogeneous lineage, race, religion and color, and 3,000,000 commuters and transients are jammed into the most congested 22 square miles in the world. Here is the nerve center of the nation's financial activity, the home of the garment manufacturing industry, the greatest port on earth and the heart of the entertainment world. Nowhere is crime found in such astonishing volume; no- where does it assume so many imaginative and diverse forms; and nowhere may a criminal so readily lose himself in a crowd. (Continued on page 8) Jury Panel Increased iAssociation Hopes for I ijitr Burden Upon recommendation of the Grand Jury Association the Coun- ty Jury Board authorized an in- crease of 250 in the number of citizens on the New York County Grand Jury Panel. It is hoped that this will reduce the frequency of service for all grand jurors. However, there are circum- stances, regardless of the number on the Panel, that tend to in- crease the frequency of duty for grand jurors. In this regard a point made by District Attorney Hogan in his latest report is of interest. In New York County, Mr. Hogan writes, three Grand Juries customarily are impaneled for each monthly term of court. In addition, there are generally a number of 'hold-over' Grand Juries whose terms have been ex- tended beyond the normal one month period for the purpose of further investigating matters sub- mitted to them during their reg- ular terms. In the month of Octo- ber, 1947, for example, there were eight such juries with unexpired terms, in addition to the three regular juries. One-Sixth of Panel Thus it would appear that one- fifth of the entire panel as con- stituted at that time was on call, Or applying the same figures, counting 23 jurors to a jury, to the larger Grand Jury Panel of 1950 the jurors in service would constitute one-sixth of the total number.

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