# Justice Manual § 9-11.101: Powers and Limitations of Grand Juries—The Functions of a Grand Jury

> Federal · Agency guidance · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.101

## Section

- **Citation:** Justice Manual § 9-11.101
- **Heading:** Powers and Limitations of Grand Juries—The Functions of a Grand Jury
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Agency guidance
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** DOJ Justice Manual / Title 9: Criminal / 9-11.000 - Grand Jury / Justice Manual § 9-11.101

## Text

While grand juries are sometimes described as performing accusatory and investigatory functions, the grand jury's principal function is to determine whether or not there is probable cause to believe that one or more persons committed a certain Federal offense within the venue of the district court. Thus, it has been said that a grand jury has but two functions—to indict or, in the alternative, to return a "no-bill."
See
Wright,
Federal Practice and Procedure
, Criminal Section 110.

At common law, a grand jury enjoyed a certain power to issue reports alleging non-criminal misconduct. A special grand jury impaneled under Title 18 U.S.C. § 3331 is authorized, on the basis of a criminal investigation (but not otherwise), to fashion a report, potentially for public release, concerning either organized crime conditions in the district or the non-criminal misconduct in office of appointed public officers or employees. This is discussed at
JM 9-11.300
and
JM 9-11.330
.
See Jenkins v. McKeithen
, 395 U.S. 411, 430 (1969);
Hannah v. Larche
, 363 U.S. 420 (1960). Whether a regular grand jury enjoys a comparable authority to issue a report is a difficult and complex question.
Cf. United States v. Briggs
, 514 F.2d 794 (5th Cir. 1975). The Criminal Division of the Department of Justice should be consulted before any grand jury report is initiated, whether by a regular or special grand jury. See also
JM 9-11.330
.

[updated January 2020] [cited in
JM 9-69.400
]

## Nearby sections

- [Justice Manual § 9-11.010 Introduction](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.010.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-11.101 Powers and Limitations of Grand Juries—The Functions of a Grand Jury](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.101.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-11.120 Power of a Grand Jury Limited by Its Function](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.120.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-11.121 Venue Limitations](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.121.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-11.130 Limitation on Naming Persons as Unindicted Co-Conspirators](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.130.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-11.140 Limitation on Grand Jury Subpoenas](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.140.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-11.141 Fair Credit Reporting Act and Grand Jury Subpoenas](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.141.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-11.142 Grand Jury Subpoenas for Financial Records](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.142.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-11.150 Subpoenaing Targets of the Investigation](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.150.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-11.151 Advice of "Rights" of Grand Jury Witnesses](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.151.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-11.152 Requests by Subjects and Targets to Testify Before the Grand Jury](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.152.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-11.153 Notification of Targets](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.153.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-11.154 Advance Assertions of an Intention to Claim the Fifth Amendment Privilege Against Compulsory Self-Incrimination](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.154.md)
- [Justice Manual § 9-11.155 Notification to Targets when Target Status Ends](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.155.md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/JM_S9-11.101. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.