A grand jury is made up of ordinary citizens selected from the community, not judges, lawyers, or politicians.

Who is the grand jury made up of?

In the United States, a federal grand jury usually consists of 16–23 people drawn from the same general pool used for regular (trial) juries.

They are:

  • Ordinary adult citizens from the local district (for example, a federal judicial district or county).
  • Selected at random from voter rolls, driver records, or similar lists, with some screening for eligibility (citizenship, residency, lack of disqualifying criminal history, etc.).
  • Sworn under oath to keep proceedings secret and to evaluate evidence fairly.

They are not :

  • The prosecutor (they only present evidence and advise on law).
  • The judge (usually not present in the room during presentations or deliberations).
  • The defense attorney or the accused (they usually have no right to be in the room).

Who can be in the room?

During a grand jury session, only a small group is allowed in the room:

  • Grand jurors (the citizen panel).
  • The prosecutor (attorney for the government or state).
  • Witnesses (only while they testify).
  • An interpreter, if needed.
  • A court reporter or recording operator.
  • Bailiffs or necessary court staff.

The grand jurors themselves are the only ones who stay to deliberate and vote on whether to issue an indictment.

TL;DR:
A grand jury is made up of regular local citizens, usually 16–23 people in the U.S., chosen from the community and sworn to privately review evidence and decide whether criminal charges should be brought.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.