---
title: O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1. Definitions.
collection: code
id: 15-12-1
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-12-1
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-12-1.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-12-1/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t15-ch12-24-(v13a)-2015-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=cbb30143_0#page=6
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-12.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-11A-1.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/15-12-1.1.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: COURTS / JURIES / GENERAL PROVISIONS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 15-12-1. Definitions.

As used in this chapter, the term:

(1) ‘‘Array’’ means the body of persons subject to voir dire from which the final jury and alternate jurors are selected.

(2) ‘‘Choose’’ or ‘‘chosen’’ means the act of randomly selecting potential jurors from the county master jury list in a manner that does not deliberately or systematically exclude identifiable and distinct groups from the venire.

(3) ‘‘Clerk’’ means the clerk of the superior court or a jury clerk if one is appointed pursuant to subsection (a) of Code Section 15-12-11 or Code Section 15-12-12.

(4) ‘‘Council’’ means The Council of Superior Court Clerks of Georgia.

(5) ‘‘County master jury list’’ means a list compiled by the council of names of persons, including their addresses, city of residence, dates of birth, and gender, eligible for trial or grand jury service.

(6) ‘‘Defer’’ means a postponement of a person’s jury service until a later date.

(7) ‘‘Excuse’’ means the grant of a person’s request for temporary exemption from jury service.

(8) ‘‘Inactivate’’ means removing a person’s name and identifying information who has been identified on the county master jury list as a person who is permanently prevented from being chosen as a trial or grand juror because such person is statutorily ineligible or incompetent to serve as a juror.

(9) ‘‘State-wide master jury list’’ means a comprehensive master list that identifies every person of this state who can be determined to be prima facie qualified to serve as a trial or grand juror.

(10) ‘‘Venire’’ means the list of persons summoned to serve as trial or grand jurors for a particular term of court.

## History

Code 1981, § 15-12-1, enacted by Ga. L. 2011, p. 59, § 1-5/HB 415; Ga. L. 2014, p. 451, § 3/HB 776; Ga. L. 2014, p. 862, § 1/HB 1078.

## Editor's Notes

Ga. L. 2011, p. 59, § 1-1/HB 415, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: ‘‘This Act shall be known and may be cited as the ‘Jury Composition Reform Act of 2011.’’’

Ga. L. 2011, p. 59, § 1-5/HB 415, effective July 1, 2011, redesignated former Code Section 15-12-1 as present Code Section 15-12-1.1.

## The 2014 Amendments.

The first 2014 amendment, effective July 1, 2014, substituted ‘‘Code Section 15-12-12’’ for ‘‘subsection (b) of Code Section 15-12-23’’ in paragraph (3); substituted ‘‘The Council’’ for ‘‘the Council’’ in paragraph (4); deleted former paragraph (9), which read: ‘‘‘Jury commissioner’ means a member of a county board of jury commissioners.’’; and redesignated former paragraphs (10) and (11) as present paragraphs (9) and (10), respectively. The second 2014 amendment, effective April 29, 2014, inserted ‘‘trial or grand’’ near the end of paragraphs (5), (10) (now paragraph (9)) and (11) (now paragraph (10)).