How Cases Move Through Federal Courts
Civil Cases
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Jury selection
A jury trial begins with the selection of jurors. Citizens are selected for jury service through a process that is set out in laws passed by Congress and in the federal rules of procedure. First, citizens are called to court to be available to serve on juries. These citizens are selected at random from source lists, in most districts lists of registered or actual voters, which may be augmented by other sources, such as lists of licensed drivers in the judicial district. The judge and the lawyers in each case then choose the persons who will actually serve on the jury.
To choose the jurors, the judge and sometimes the lawyers ask prospective jurors questions to determine if they will be able to decide the case fairly. This process is called voir dire. The lawyers may request that the judge excuse jurors they think may not be impartial, such as those who know a party in the case or who have had an experience that might make them favor one side over the other. These requests for rejecting jurors are called challenges for cause. The lawyers may also request that the judge excuse a certain number of jurors without giving any reason; these requests are called peremptory challenges. |
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