How does a grand jury differ from a regular petit jury?
A grand jury gets to ask questions of witnesses and can actually start their own investigations into matters not even presented by the prosecutor. (Prosecutors normally attempt to take charge of the jury but it is actually the jury who is in charge.) After hearing the evidence it either bills (indicts), no bills (does not indict), or passes (takes no action), not by a unanimous vote as in criminal cases but by 9 out of 12 as in civil cases. (An indictment merely means the jury believes there is sufficient evidence to hold the subject over for trial.) Grand juries are fun and very interesting to be on, petit juries usually not so.
