The district court of each county shall maintain a list of the names of the jurors duly empaneled and present for the trial of a case. The judge shall cause the names to be randomly selected until sufficient names have been drawn to provide the number of jurors required for the trial. The name and number of each juror shall be announced. Twelve or six jurors shall compose a petit jury in the district courts for the trial of civil causes. Twelve jurors shall compose a petit jury in criminal and children's court cases. Magistrate and metropolitan jury court selection shall be conducted in accordance with supreme court rules.
History: 1953 Comp., § 19-1-13, enacted by Laws 1969, ch. 222, § 13; 1991, ch. 71, § 5; 2005, ch. 107, § 9.
ANNOTATIONSCross references. — For number of jurors required to return verdict in civil cases, see 38-5-17 NMSA 1978 and Rules 1-038 and 1-048 NMRA.
For selection of jurors in criminal cases generally, see Rule 5-605 NMRA.
For requirement of unanimous verdict in criminal cases, see Rule 5-611 NMRA.
The 2005 amendment, effective July 1, 2005, eliminated all former requirements concerning the jury lot slip container and lot slips, and provided that names shall be randomly selected.
The 1991 amendment, effective April 1, 1991, added "Jury lot slip container" at the beginning of the catchline; added Subsection A; designated the formerly undesignated provision as Subsection B; and, in Subsection B, deleted "before each name is drawn" following "rotated" in the third sentence, inserted "or six" following "Twelve" and deleted "or criminal" following "civil" in the fifth sentence, added the last three sentences; and made minor stylistic changes throughout the subsection.
Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — 50 C.J.S. Juries §§ 192 to 198.