White v. State
White v. State
Opinion of the Court
The act creating the county court of Shelby county (Acts 'Sp. Sess. 1909, p. 45), provides for two regular terms in each year for the holding of said court: The first beginning on the 1st day of January, and continuing until the 1st day of July in each year; and the second term beginning on the 1st day of July, and continuing until the 1st day of'January of each year — thus, in practical effect, creating a continuous term. The act also provides for adjournment of court from time to time as it may seem proper to .the presiding judgp; and also for the convening of a special grand jury as occasion may demand.
A 'reading of the special act (Special Session 1909), establishing the county court of Shelby, above cited, in connection with section 23 of the Jury Law (Special Session Acts 1909, p. 305), clearly demonstrate that these pleas were without merit, and the demurrer thereto was properly sustained. Indeed, it is not insisted by counsel for appellant'that these pleas present any matter of merit. But the argument is that the assignments of demurrer by the state were not sufficient to justify the ruling of the court in sustaining them. We are of the opinion, however, in the light of our statutes and after reviewing the five assignments of demurrer, that they were sufficient to justify this action of the court.
*388 The defendant was served with a venire consisting of 60 names, composed of 16 special jurors drawn for his trial, together with 45 regular jurors drawn for the trial of causes during that week of court. The venire served upon the defendant appears from this record to have been in accordance with the statutes, as construed by the decisions of this court. The cause was called for trial on February 28, 1917, in the circuit court of Shelby county, when it was ascertained that Robert Black, one of the special jurors on the venire summoned 'to try the defendant, was not present; and the court upon inquiry as to the qualification of other jurors, composing the list on the yenire, excused a number of them for reasons which the court deemed proper, some of which are set out in the record, so that the number from which the jury was to be selected was reduced to 49. The defendant does not appear to have interposed any objections or reserved any exceptions to the action of the court in excusing any of the jurors as above indicated. His attorneys were then furnished with a list of the jurors from which to strike for the selection of a jury. The list contained only the 49 names. Defendant then objected to being required to strike from said list of jurors, assigning as his several reasons therefor the fact that the jurors excused by the court were not on said list, which objection was overruled by the court.
“If in any capital case the number of competent jurors shall be less than twenty before requiring any- of them to be stricken off, the court must draw as prescribed in this Act, and have summoned, enough qualified jurors who are within or live within five miles of the courthouse or who live within the corporate limits of a city of 10,000 or more inhabitants in which the court is held to increase the number to at least thirty, and have their names placed on the list with other competent jurors and shall then require the solicitor and the defendant or defendants to strike from the list as provided in this section, the number of jurors that each may be entitled to strike off, until only twelve remain thereon, and these twelve shall be sworn and empaneled as the jury for the trial of the defendant or defendants.”
No questions as to the evidence or instructions to the jury are presented by the record. Finding no reversible ''error, the judgment of conviction will be affirmed.
Affirmed.
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