Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 January 1899 — A Struck Jury. [ARTICLE]

A Struck Jury.

The Jasper circuit court is about to be in the enjoyment, in fact already is so, of something new and altogether luxurious in the way of juries. It is a “struck jury” and the oldest official of our court or practicioner at the bar, does not recall when we had one before. It seems there is a little-known statute in the laws of this state which gives either party in a law suit the right to demand; under certain conditions a struck jury. This demand was made by the defendant in the cases of Brown et al vs. the C. & I. L. (Monon) Railway, suits for damages resulting from fires. When a struck jury is demanded, the jury commissioners must meet and make up a new and specially selected list of 40 jurors. From these 40 names the two parties to the suit or their attorneys, will each strike off 12 names. This will leave 16 men, who are summoned to try the case. And the first of these who are not challenged for cause, are to try the cause; but if less than half of the 16 are present or more than half are challenged, then the regular panel tries the case. Such a list of 40 names was made up Wednesday afternoon, by Jury Commissioners J. J?, Warren and D. B. Nowels. The case they are to try is set for next Monday. The law authorizing struck juries is a very old one and also a very foolish and useless one, and calculated to make a big expense to the taxpayers, and do no good to anybody. We suggest to our representative in the legislature that the repeal of this struck jury section would be a good thing.