The Legislature recognizes that trial by jury is a cherished constitutional right, and that jury service is an obligation of citizenship. It is the policy of the State of California that all persons selected for jury service shall be selected at random from the population of the area served by the court; that all qualified persons have an equal opportunity, in accordance with this chapter, to be considered for jury service in the state and an obligation to serve as jurors when summoned for that purpose; and that it is the responsibility of jury commissioners to manage all jury systems in an efficient, equitable, and cost-effective manner, in accordance with this chapter.
§ 191.Declaration of state policy
Title 3. Persons Specially Invested With Powers of a Judicial Nature · Chapter 1. Trial Jury Selection and Management Act · Enacted 1988 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 191 declares California’s policy that jurors be chosen at random from the community the court serves, that all qualified people share an equal opportunity and obligation to serve, and that jury commissioners run jury systems efficiently and equitably.
Full Text of § 191
Plain-English Summary
Section 191 is the compass for the rest of the Act. It states three commitments: jurors come from a random cross section of the area the court serves; every qualified person gets an equal shot at being called and an equal duty to answer when summoned; and the officials who run the jury system, the jury commissioners, must do so efficiently, equitably, and at reasonable cost.
Later sections turn these commitments into mechanics — source lists in § 197, master and qualified juror lists in § 198, exemptions in § 204 — but this is the section a court reaches for when a dispute turns on whether a jury-selection practice served the Act’s underlying purpose rather than just its letter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Section 191 require about how jurors are chosen?
It requires random selection from the population of the area the court serves, so that jury pools reflect the community rather than a narrower or hand-picked group.
Does every qualified adult have to serve if summoned?
Section 191 states that qualified persons have both an equal opportunity to be considered for jury service and an obligation to serve when summoned, subject to the exemption and excuse rules elsewhere in the chapter.
Who is responsible for running the jury system equitably?
Section 191 places that responsibility on jury commissioners, who must manage jury systems in an efficient, equitable, and cost-effective manner.
Is Section 191 enforceable on its own?
It states policy rather than a specific procedure, so it typically works alongside the chapter’s more detailed sections rather than being invoked by itself.
Amendment History
Added Stats 1988 ch 1245 § 2.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: california jury selection policy statuterandom selection of jurors california lawjury commissioner duties californiacalifornia cross section jury requirement