Jury selection: acknowledgment and agreement.

Assembly Member Pacheco's jury selection reform measure modifies the formal acknowledgments that prospective and selected jurors must provide during California trial proceedings, updating the language that affirms their duties and obligations.

The bill revises two key statements in the jury selection process. Before voir dire examination begins, prospective jurors must now acknowledge under penalty of perjury: "Do you understand and agree, under penalty of perjury, that you will accurately and truthfully answer all questions about your qualifications and ability to serve as a juror in this case, and that failure to do so may result in criminal prosecution?" Once the final jury is seated, members must affirm: "Do you understand and agree that you will carefully consider the case being heard in this court, and that you will reach a verdict based only on the evidence presented to you and the instructions on the law given by the court?"

These modifications operate within California's existing Trial Jury Selection and Management Act framework, which requires random selection of jurors from a representative cross-section of the area served by the court. The measure maintains the current structure where trial judges oversee jury selection, with counsel for each party retaining the right to examine prospective jurors for both peremptory challenges and challenges for cause.