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Amendment Article IV

CONSTITUTION ARTICLE I, Section 19

Challenges & number of jurors.

HJR 83                       1971

            Senate:             1984-1987

            House:            2366-2370

            Committee:     Judiciary: None

                                                Total Pages: 9  pages

 

Adopted: December 22, 1972 by a popular vote of  381,895 in favor and 156,072 against.

 

“We have passed legislation which reduces the number of jurors to six in all civil cases … We are trying to clear up the court dockets, but … we do not want to proceed too quickly …”

 

--Senator Jackson speaking on the floor of the Connecticut Senate on May 17, 1971 to explain a proposed constitutional amendment which  would preserve the right to peremptory challenges for all civil and criminal cases and which retains the right to be tried by a jury of twelve in capital offenses.