Title 9, Title 9 and Civil Procedure — Procedure Generally

The presiding justice of the superior court and the chief judge of the family court may assign a justice of those courts or the jury commissioner for the purpose of qualifying petit jurors and dividing the petit jury panels into subpanels. The assigned justice shall order the pan…

On the day when the petit jurors are summoned to attend at a court in any court for the trial of either civil or criminal cases, the clerk shall cause the name and place of abode of each person summoned as a juror to be written upon a separate paper, all of which papers shall be …

The provisions of § 9-10-11.2 may be made applicable to any county outside the counties of Providence and Bristol by order of the presiding justice of the superior court whenever he or she shall determine that the expedition of jury trials in that county will be furthered or impr…

Whenever in the opinion of the court the trial of a civil case before a jury is likely to be a protracted one, the court may, immediately after the jury is impaneled and sworn, direct the calling of one or two (2) additional jurors, to be known as alternate jurors. Alternate juro…

The court shall, on motion of either party in a suit, examine on oath a person who is called as a juror therein, to know whether he or she is related to either party, has any interest in the cause, or has expressed or formed an opinion or is sensible of any bias or prejudice ther…

In complaints, indictments, and penal actions for the recovery of any sum of money or other thing forfeited, it shall not be cause for challenge to a juror that he or she resides or is liable to pay taxes in any town which may be benefited thereby.

No person shall be disqualified to act as a juror in any case in which the state is directly or indirectly a party by reason of his or her being a citizen thereof.

If a party knows of any objection to a juror before the case is opened to the jury and omits to suggest it to the court, he or she shall not afterwards make the objection, unless by express leave of the court.

Either party in a civil action may, before the opening of the action or proceeding to the jury, challenge in writing, addressed to the clerk of the court, any qualified jurors called for the trial of the cause or proceeding, not exceeding one in three (3), without alleging or sho…

Written objections or challenges, filed under the provisions of § 9-10-18, shall be kept in such place and shall be disposed of in such manner, as the court shall direct.

The city or town sergeant or certified constable, upon receipt of the notification as provided in § 9-10-1, shall forthwith make service of the notification upon the persons named therein as jurors by delivering to each of them, or by leaving at their last and usual place of abod…

Grand and petit jurors, before acting as such, shall take the oath prescribed for them in the following terms: GRAND JURORS OATH “You severally and solemnly swear (or, affirm) that as members of the grand inquest for the body of the county (or counties) of _______ you will dilige…

The person and estate of every juror attending any court in this state shall be exempt from all process in any civil action during the period of his or her attendance on the court and for three (3) days next before the time he or she shall be required to appear and for the three …

The service of all process contrary to § 9-10-21 shall be void.

Whenever on receipt of a notice from the clerk of the superior or family court for grand or petit jurors it shall appear to the jury commissioner to be impossible to get the returns from the officer or officers who customarily serve the summons in proper time for the commissioner…

The notifications when served shall be returned forthwith by the officer serving them, either in person or by registered or certified mail, to the jury commissioner, who shall make out a list of the persons served, with their names, occupations, and residence appearing thereon an…

Every officer charged with a notification to any person drawn as juror, who shall neglect to serve and return the notification as required in § 9-10-4, shall for each offense be fined twenty dollars ($20.00).

No person shall serve on any grand or petit jury in the courts of this state unless he or she shall have been drawn as hereinbefore provided.

No person summoned shall be qualified to serve as a juror who has served as a juror within three (3) years next preceding the time when he or she shall be so summoned; and the court shall, upon calling the person so summoned, inquire of him or her if he or she has so served.

No person summoned as a petit juror shall be required to serve more than two (2) weeks in any year in which he or she may be summoned; unless at the expiration of the period of two (2) weeks he or she shall be actually serving on a jury theretofore impaneled to try an issue then …

A justice of the superior court or the family court, or the jury commissioner, may excuse a person from jury duty or may continue the date of the service upon a showing of mental or physical disability, illness, or the serious illness of some member of his or her immediate family…