An Oakdale man is among those selected for the latest civil grand jury.

On Tuesday, June 30 in Department 5 of the Stanislaus County Superior Court, Judge Marie Sovey Silveira presided over the selection of the 19 people who will serve on the 2015-2016 Civil Grand Jury and four alternates. The jury’s term is for one fiscal year beginning July 1, 2015 and running through June 30, 2016.

Judge Silveira appointed Edward Halsey of Turlock as foreperson of the 2015-2016 Civil Grand Jury. Two jurors from the 2014-2015 jury were held over to serve a second term, Kathleen Jenner and David Duarte, both of Modesto. Sixteen names were then drawn randomly to complete the 19-member grand jury panel.

Four additional names were drawn as alternates, who will serve in the event that a regular grand juror resigns or is removed.

Civil Grand Jury members include residents from Turlock, Patterson, Modesto, Oakdale, Denair and Ceres, with alternates chosen from Modesto and Ceres.

Benjamin E. Kelly is the lone Oakdale representative on the panel.

Immediately after the swearing-in ceremony, the new panel attended an orientation session. They also are required to attend a two-day training session presented by the California Grand Jurors’ Association, a not-for-profit educational organization, on July 9 and 10.

According to the ‘California Courts’ website, every year in each of California’s 58 counties, “a group of ordinary citizens takes an oath to serve as grand jurors.”

Its function, the website goes on to say, is to investigate the operations of the various officers, departments and agencies of local government. Each Civil Grand Jury determines which officers, departments and agencies it will investigate during its term of office.