(a) In each county, there shall be one jury commissioner who shall be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, a majority of the judges of the superior court. In any county where there is a superior court administrator or executive officer, that person shall serve as ex officio jury commissioner. In any court jurisdiction where any person other than a court administrator or clerk/administrator is serving as jury commissioner on the effective date of this section, that person shall continue to so serve at the pleasure of a majority of the judges of the appointing court.
§ 195.Jury commissioner; Appointment; Powers and duties
Title 3. Persons Specially Invested With Powers of a Judicial Nature · Chapter 1. Trial Jury Selection and Management Act · Last amended 2002 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 195 creates the office of jury commissioner, an officer of the court who serves at the pleasure of a majority of the court’s judges and manages the jury system under the court’s general supervision.
Full Text of § 195
(b) Any jury commissioner may, whenever the business of court requires, appoint deputy jury commissioners. Salaries and benefits of those deputies shall be fixed in the same manner as salaries and benefits of other court employees.
(c) The jury commissioner shall be primarily responsible for managing the jury system under the general supervision of the court in conformance with the purpose and scope of this act. He or she shall have authority to establish policies and procedures necessary to fulfill this responsibility.
Plain-English Summary
Section 195 puts a name and a job description behind the “jury commissioner” that the rest of the chapter keeps referring to. The commissioner is an officer of the court who serves at the pleasure of a majority of the court’s judges, and may appoint deputy jury commissioners as the court’s business requires, with their salaries and benefits set the same way as other court employees.
Beyond appointment, § 195 assigns responsibility: the jury commissioner is primarily responsible for managing the jury system under the court’s general supervision, and has authority to set the policies and procedures needed to do that job in keeping with the Act’s purpose and scope. That authority is what lets the commissioner administer source lists, master lists, questionnaires, and summonses under the sections that follow without a judge signing off on every step.
Official Comment
The following official comments are published by the California Law Revision Commission (and, for a few older sections, its predecessor Code Commissioners) alongside the statute itself — not commentary from this site.
1998 Law Revision Commission Comment. Section 195 is amended to reflect the elimination of the justice court. Cal Const Art IV §§ 1, 5(b).
2002 Law Revision Commission Comment. Subdivision (a) of Section 195 is amended to reflect unification of the municipal and superior courts pursuant to Article VI Section 5(e), of the California Constitution. Subdivision (b) is amended to reflect enactment of the Trial Court Employment Protection and Governance Act. See Gov C § 71620 (trial court personnel), 71623 (salaries).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who appoints a jury commissioner?
The court appoints the jury commissioner, who then serves at the pleasure of a majority of the court’s judges.
Can a jury commissioner hire deputies?
Yes. Section 195 lets the jury commissioner appoint deputy jury commissioners whenever the business of the court requires it.
What authority does the jury commissioner have over the jury system?
Section 195 makes the commissioner primarily responsible for managing the jury system under the court’s general supervision, with authority to set the policies and procedures the job requires.
Amendment History
Added Stats 1988 ch 1245 § 2. Amended Stats 1998 ch 931 § 51 (SB 2139), effective September 28, 1998; Stats 2002 ch 784 § 40 (SB 1316).
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
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