39 seconds per case: Grand jury’s 900 indictments challenged

YORK, S.C. – Defence lawyers are challenging indictments issued by a grand jury that approved 904 cases in a single day.

The Herald newspaper in South Carolina reports that 27 defence attorneys joined the motion Aug. 3 to quash the indictments issued after the York County grand jury met for a single day in June. The motion says every single case was approved, at an average time per indictment of 39 seconds.

A grand jury has up to 18 members who hear basic facts about a criminal case.

Prosecutor Kevin Brackett says they “worked very hard” during the 10 hours.

Brackett says their workload more than doubled in anticipation of changes involving the defendants’ right to a hearing to see if there’s probable cause before cases go to the grand jury.

___

Information from: The Herald, http://www.heraldonline.com