The following oath shall be administered to all bailiffs on duty in any court in this state conducting a jury trial:
“You shall take all juries committed to your charge to the jury room or some other private and convenient place designated by the court and you shall not allow the jurors to receive any books, papers, nourishment, or hydration other than water, or to use any electronic communication device except as directed and approved by the court. You shall make no communication with the jurors nor permit anyone to communicate with the jurors except as specifically authorized by the court. You shall discharge all other duties which may devolve upon you as bailiff to the best of your skill and power. So help you God.”
History. Laws 1831, Cobb’s 1851 Digest, pp. 553, 554.; Code 1863, § 5106; Code 1868, § 3857; Code 1873, § 3929; Code 1882, § 3929; Ga. L. 1887, p. 33, § 1; Civil Code 1895, § 4449; Penal Code 1895, § 878; Civil Code 1910, § 4990; Penal Code 1910, § 883; Code 1933, §§ 24-3201, 59-717; Ga. L. 2013, p. 775, § 1/HB 161.
The 2013 amendment, effective July 1, 2013, rewrote this Code section.
Cross references.
Selection of bailiffs by sheriff, § 15-6-35 .
Structure Georgia Code
§ 15-12-120.1. Choosing of Trial Jurors
§ 15-12-123. Demand of Jury Panels in Civil Actions in the State Courts
§ 15-12-124.1. Insufficient Number of Persons to Complete Panel of Trial Jurors
§ 15-12-125. Demand of Jury Panels for Misdemeanor Trials
§ 15-12-129.1. Prolonged Session of Court of Record; Choosing and Summoning Prospective Jurors
§ 15-12-131. Examination of Jurors in Panels
§ 15-12-132. Oath of Jury on Voir Dire
§ 15-12-133. Right to Individual Examination of Panel; Matters of Inquiry
§ 15-12-135. Disqualification for Relationship to Interested Party
§ 15-12-136. Competency of County Residents When County Is Interested in Case
§ 15-12-137. Competency of Resident of Municipal Corporation Interested in Case
§ 15-12-137.1. Jury Service by Members of Electric Membership Corporation
§ 15-12-138. Oath of Jury Panel
§ 15-12-139. Oath in Criminal Case
§ 15-12-141. Jury Deliberation Rooms; Furnishing Food and Beverages