Sec. 54-82h*. Alternate jurors in criminal cases. Peremptory challenges.
Sec. 54-82h*. Alternate jurors in criminal cases. Peremptory challenges. (a)
In any criminal prosecution to be tried to the jury in the Superior Court if it appears to
the court that the trial is likely to be protracted, the court may, in its discretion, direct
that, after a jury has been selected, two or more additional jurors shall be added to the
jury panel, to be known as "alternate jurors". Such alternate jurors shall have the same
qualifications and be selected and subject to examination and challenge in the same
manner and to the same extent as the jurors constituting the regular panel, provided, in
any case when the court directs the selection of alternate jurors, the number of peremptory challenges allowed shall be as follows: In any criminal prosecution the state and
the accused may each peremptorily challenge thirty jurors if the offense for which the
accused is arraigned is punishable by death, eighteen jurors if the offense is punishable
by life imprisonment, eight jurors if the offense is punishable by imprisonment for more
than one year and for less than life, and four jurors in any other case.
(b) Alternate jurors shall be sworn separately from those constituting the regular
panel, and the oaths to be administered shall be as provided in section 1-25.
(c) Alternate jurors shall attend at all times upon trial of the cause. They shall be
seated when the case is on trial with or near the jurors constituting the regular panel,
with equal opportunity to see and hear all matters adduced in the trial of the case. If, at
any time, any juror shall, for any reason, become unable to further perform the duty of
a juror, the court may excuse such juror and, if any juror is so excused or dies, the court
may order that an alternate juror who is designated by lot to be drawn by the clerk shall
become a part of the regular panel and the trial or deliberation shall then proceed with
appropriate instructions from the court as though such juror had been a member of the
regular panel from the time when the trial or deliberation began. If the alternate juror
becomes a member of the regular panel after deliberations began, the jury shall be instructed by the court that deliberations by the jury shall begin anew. A juror who has
been selected to serve as an alternate shall not be segregated from the regular panel
except when the case is given to the regular panel for deliberation at which time such
alternate juror may be dismissed from further service on said case or may remain in
service under the direction of the court.
(P.A. 80-313, S. 41; P.A. 82-307, S. 5, 8; P.A. 00-116, S. 6.)
*Note: This section was formerly part of Sec. 51-243. See Sec. 51-243 History re P.A. 80-313.
History: P.A. 82-307 amended Subsec. (a) by changing the number of alternate jurors from "one or two" to two "or
more" and amended Subsec. (c) to reflect this change; P.A. 00-116 amended Subsec. (c) by making technical changes, by
permitting alternate juror to become part of the deliberation and proceed with appropriate instructions from the court as
though alternate juror was part of the regular panel when the trial or deliberation began, by providing if alternate juror
becomes member of panel after deliberations began, the jury shall be instructed by the court that deliberations by the jury
shall begin anew, and by adding provision allowing alternate juror to remain in service under the direction of the court
during deliberation of regular panel.
Cited. 200 C. 615. Cited. 209 C. 564. Cited. 223 C. 299. Cited. 226 C. 618. Cited. 233 C. 813.
Cited. 7 CA 503. Cited. 36 CA 631. Cited. 38 CA 231. Cited. 41 CA 831.
Subsec. (a):
Cited. 190 C. 219. Cited. 195 C. 421.
Cited. 8 CA 158. Cited. 34 CA 58; judgment reversed, see 232 C. 537. Cited. 35 CA 541.
Subsec. (c):
Cited. 199 C. 163. Cited. 216 C. 367. Cited. 231 C. 235. Statute requires alternate jurors to be dismissed after commencement of jury deliberations and substitution of alternate juror after commencement of deliberations is prohibited. 254 C.
472. Substitution of alternate juror after commencement of deliberations in violation of statute is not harmless error. Id.
Statute now explicitly permits substitution of a juror after deliberations have begun. 257 C. 192. Process for selecting and
dismissing alternate jurors, including under this Subsec., does not implicate constitutional rights. 272 C. 432.
Cited. 34 CA 58; judgment reversed, see 232 C. 537. Cited. 35 CA 541. Judgments of conviction reversed due to
substitution of two nonjurors, formerly alternate jurors who were dismissed by trial court after deliberations had begun,
for regular jurors in the jury by the trial court. 67 CA 734. Defendant's constitutional right to fair trial before jury drawn
from a fair cross-section of the community was not violated where trial court excused alternate juror for financial hardship
after deliberations had begun. 110 CA 263.