Judicial Survey Questions

DJC Q57: Please describe your jury selection process.

DJC A57: I ask voir dire of all of the panel members together and note the affirmative answers. I then see each juror who answered any question affirmatively at sidebar with counsel for followup questions and/or motion to strike for cause. Once we are finished with that process, the parties exercise their peremptory challenges in alternating rounds (plaintiff/government first in first round; defendant first in second round, etc.) until challenges are exhausted or the parties are satisfied. The first 8 jurors (in numerical order) left for civil trials and the first 14 jurors (in numerical order) left for criminal cases will be the seated jury.

Related Topics:
* Casper, Denise J.

United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts