When a court has no prospective jurors remaining available for voir dire from panels furnished by, or available from, the jury commissioner, and finds that not proceeding with voir dire will place a party’s right to a trial by jury in jeopardy, the court may direct the sheriff or marshal to summon, serve, and immediately attach the person of a sufficient number of citizens having the qualifications of jurors, to complete the panel.
§ 211.Summoning jurors to complete panel
Title 3. Persons Specially Invested With Powers of a Judicial Nature · Chapter 1. Trial Jury Selection and Management Act · Last amended 1996 · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 211 lets the court summon additional jurors when needed to complete a trial jury panel, so that excusals, challenges, or no-shows do not leave a case without enough jurors to proceed to voir dire.
Full Text of § 211
Plain-English Summary
Section 211 addresses what happens when a panel comes up short. Rather than starting the selection process over, the court can summon additional prospective jurors specifically to complete the panel it already has underway.
This keeps jury selection moving even when excusals, challenges, or no-shows leave a panel without enough jurors to proceed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a jury panel does not have enough jurors?
Section 211 lets the court summon additional jurors to complete the panel rather than restarting the process.
Does completing a panel under Section 211 require a new master list draw?
No. It addresses summoning additional jurors to fill out an existing panel, not generating an entirely new source-list selection.
Who decides when a panel needs additional jurors?
The court, drawing on the jury commissioner’s administration of the panel, determines when summoning additional jurors under § 211 is necessary to complete it.
Amendment History
Added Stats 1988 ch 1245 § 2. Amended Stats 1996 ch 872 § 7 (AB 3472).
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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