Overview of the Collection
Grand Jury History
Scope and Contents
Access Terms
Important Information for Users of the Collection
Overview of the Collection
Collection Title: Sonoma County Grand Jury records,
Date (inclusive): 1896-2009
Identification: SCG.00014
Creator:
California. Grand Jury (Sonoma County)
Physical Description:
63 volumes
Language of Materials:
English
Repository:
Sonoma County Library Archives
c/o Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library, Sonoma County Library
725 Third Street
Santa Rosa, CA,
Abstract: This collection contains historical records and reports of the Sonoma County Grand Jury. Grand Jury Report records include
minutes of the Grand Jury from July 6, 1934 to Jan. 26, 1948. Historical records of the Final Report series may be stored
offsite, or in some cases at Closed Stacks in the Downtown Santa Rosa library. More recent issues of the Grand Jury Final
Report (1994-) are available in some branch libraries
Grand Jury History
Biography/Organization History
A Grand Jury derives its name from the fact that it usually has a greater number of jurors than a trial (petit) jury. One
of the earliest concepts of Grand Juries dates back to early Greece where the Athenians used an accusatory body. In early
Briton, the Saxons also used something similar to a Grand Jury System. During the years 978 to 1016, one of the Dooms (laws)
stated that for each 100 men, 12 were to be named to act as an accusing body. They were cautioned "not to accuse an innocent
man or spare a guilty one."
The Grand Jury can also be traced to the time of the Norman conquest of England in 1066. There is evidence that the courts
of that time summoned a body of sworn neighbors to present crimes that had come to their knowledge. Since the members of that
accusing jury were selected from small jurisdictions, it was natural that they could present accusations based on their personal
knowledge.
Historians agree that the Assize [court session or assembly] of Clarendon in 1166 provided the ground work for our present
Grand Jury system. During the reign of Henry II (1154-1189), to regain for the crown the powers usurped by Thomas Becket,
Chancellor of England, 12 "good and lawful men" in each village were assembled to reveal the names of those suspected of crimes.
It was during this same period that juries were divided into two types, civil and criminal, with the development of each influencing
the other.
The oath taken by these jurors provided that they would carry out their duties faithfully, that they would aggrieve no one
through enmity nor deference to anyone through love, and that they would conceal those things that they had heard.
By the year 1290, these accusing juries were given the authority to inquire into the maintenance of bridges and highways,
defects of jails, and whether the Sheriff had kept in jail anyone who should have been brought before the justices. "Le Grand
Inquest" evolved during the reign of Edward III (1368), when the "accusatory jury" was increased in number from 12 to 23,
with a majority vote necessary to indict anyone accused of crime.
In America, the Massachusetts Bay Colony impaneled the first Grand Jury in 1635 to consider cases of murder, robbery and wife
beating. As early as 1700, the value of the Grand Jury was recognized as opposing the Royalists. These colonial Grand Juries
expressed their independence by refusing to indict leaders of the Stamp Act (1765), and refusing to bring libel charges against
the editors of the Boston Gazette (1765). A union with other colonies to oppose British taxes was supported by the Philadelphia
Grand Jury in 1770.
By the end of the Colonial Period, the Grand Jury had become an indispensable adjunct of Government: "they proposed new laws,
protested against abuses in government, and wielded the tremendous authority in their power to determine who should and who
should not face trial."
Public support for Grand Juries, sustained through the Revolutionary Period, began to wane in the early 1800's. Adoption of
the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868, made it illegal to "deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process
of law." As interpreted by some states, this amendment no longer required prosecution of crimes by Grand Jury indictment nor
prohibited direct accusation by a prosecutor. California is still one of the states that allows prosecution to be initiated
by either a Criminal Grand Jury indictment or judicial preliminary hearing.
Sonoma County does not impanel a Criminal Grand Jury. If the Civil Grand Jury ascertains that there is an indictable offense,
then a separate Criminal Grand Jury will be impaneled.
The first California Penal Codes contained statutes providing for a Grand Jury, to be impaneled quarterly, at the same time
as the trial jurors were drawn. Early Grand Juries investigated local prisons, conducted audits of county books and pursued
matters of community interest. The role of the Grand Jury in California is unique. The statutes passed in 1880 allowed their
duties to include investigation of county government by a Grand Jury beyond alleged misconduct of public officials. Only California
and Nevada mandate that Grand Juries be impaneled annually to function specifically in a watchdog capacity over county government.
Scope and Contents
Official records of the Sonoma County Grand Jury.
Arrangement of the collection
Organized into five series:
- Report of the Sonoma County Grand Jury, 1918-1950
- Sonoma County Grand Jury ... final report, 1949-2008/2009
- Minutes, 1919
- Records, 1934-1948
- The people, etc. vs. Gus Meier - Grand Jury Proceedings, 1917
Series 1-4 arranged chronologically.
Access Terms
This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Corporate Names
California. Grand Jury (Sonoma County)
Geographic Name:
Sonoma County (Calif.)--Politics and government
Title:
Report of Sonoma County Grand Jury
Final report of Sonoma County Grand Jury
Topical Terms
Crime--California--Sonoma County
County government--California--Sonoma County
Grand jury--California--Sonoma County
Grand jury--California--Sonoma County Periodical
Genre and Format Terms
Minutes (administrative records)
Official reports
Criminal court records
Civil court records
Judicial records
County government records
State government records
Archival materials
Important Information for Users of the Collection
Conditions Governing Access:
Materials stored offsite, but collection is open to research. In many cases, further details on individual volumes can be
found by calling staff at the Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library. To view these materials, please call staff at
707 308-3212 to request they be brought from the Archives to the Library
Conditions of Use
Collection does not circulate and may be photocopied or photographed by arrangement only.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the Sonoma County Library. The Sonoma County Library has made this collection available and believes
that the collection is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its
copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Collection may not be in the Public Domain under the laws
of other countries. Preferred credit line is: Courtesy, the Sonoma County Library. Please see additional reproduction and
reuse information at
https://sonomalibrary.org/locations/sonoma-county-history-and-genealogy-library/order-photo
Preferred Citation:
Sonoma County Grand Jury records, 1918-2009. SCG.00014, Sonoma County Archives, Sonoma County Library, Rohnert Park, California.