§ 132.220 Disclosure by juror of testimony of witness examined by jury

Grand jury proceedings are usually kept secret. But this rule sets up two situations where a court can force a grand jury member to talk about what happened inside the grand jury room.

The first situation is when someone testifies at trial and their story seems different from what they told the grand jury. A court can ask a grand juror to reveal what the witness originally said, so the two versions can be compared. This helps catch witnesses who change their story.

The second situation involves perjury cases. If someone is charged with lying under oath (perjury or false swearing) based on what they told the grand jury, a grand juror can be required to disclose that testimony. This testimony can then be used as evidence in the perjury case, either before charges are filed or during the actual trial.

In both cases, the rule allows grand jury secrecy to be set aside for a specific, limited reason: making sure witnesses are held accountable for what they actually said under oath.