Voir Dire & Jury Selection Archive

  • When you sit down to draft a voir dire, the first questions that come to mind are usually those that deal with experiences similar to the facts of the case and the issues to be decided.  In a medical negligence case, you need to know whether any of the jurors […]

    The Key to Voir Dire: Use Your EAR

    by Susie Macpherson and Jeremy Rose, Ph.D. When you sit down to draft a voir dire, the first questions that come to mind are usually those that deal with experiences similar to the facts of the case and the issues to be decided.  In a medical negligence case, you need to know whether any of the jurors […]

    Continue Reading...

  • Editor’s Note: It’s been a busy month for juries in the news and Doug Keene (President of ASTC) has spent hours on the phone with reporters attempting to clarify the issues and to communicate the position of the American Society of Trial Consultants (ASTC) on issues related to jurors and […]

    Fairness, Justice and True Understanding: The Benefits of Peremptory Strikes

    by Douglas L. Keene, Ph.D. Editor’s Note: It’s been a busy month for juries in the news and Doug Keene (President of ASTC) has spent hours on the phone with reporters attempting to clarify the issues and to communicate the position of the American Society of Trial Consultants (ASTC) on issues related to jurors and […]

    Continue Reading...

  • This year I’ve been asked to serve as an expert witness in two different capital cases in which the defense was concerned that the defendant would stand trial by an all-White (or nearly all-White) jury.  In both cases, the defendant was a Black man and his attorneys were concerned that […]

    On the Obstacles to Jury Diversity

    by Samuel R. Sommers, Ph.D. This year I’ve been asked to serve as an expert witness in two different capital cases in which the defense was concerned that the defendant would stand trial by an all-White (or nearly all-White) jury.  In both cases, the defendant was a Black man and his attorneys were concerned that […]

    Continue Reading...

  • Voir dire focused only on juror demographics offers very little insight into potential jurors’ inherent biases, deeply-held prejudices, and overall world views. Knowing what individuals believe, how they interpret life, and the filters through which they make judgments is of far greater value than knowing where they live and what […]

    Take Me to Your Leader: An Examination of Authoritarianism as an Indicator of Juror Bias

    by Gayle W. Herde, Ph.D. Voir dire focused only on juror demographics offers very little insight into potential jurors’ inherent biases, deeply-held prejudices, and overall world views. Knowing what individuals believe, how they interpret life, and the filters through which they make judgments is of far greater value than knowing where they live and what […]

    Continue Reading...

  •   Ain't no living in a perfect world. But we’ll keep on dreaming of living in a perfect world.– Huey Lewis   In a perfectly just world, jurors motivated by perfect justice would make consistently well-reasoned judgments based on the law, the evidence and unbiased wisdom. By contrast, “Just World […]

    Just World Jurors

    by Alison K. Bennett, M.S.   Ain't no living in a perfect world. But we’ll keep on dreaming of living in a perfect world.– Huey Lewis   In a perfectly just world, jurors motivated by perfect justice would make consistently well-reasoned judgments based on the law, the evidence and unbiased wisdom. By contrast, “Just World […]

    Continue Reading...

  • If your legal pad and seating chart with one-inch squares are no longer cutting it to manage all the information you learn during voir dire, keep reading.   The challenges for the trial lawyer during voir dire are many.  Establishing rapport, building a theme framework, and laying grounds for cause […]

    Practical Tools for Staying Organized during Voir Dire and Jury Selection

    by Kelley Tobin If your legal pad and seating chart with one-inch squares are no longer cutting it to manage all the information you learn during voir dire, keep reading.   The challenges for the trial lawyer during voir dire are many.  Establishing rapport, building a theme framework, and laying grounds for cause […]

    Continue Reading...