The legal process can seem complicated and mysterious, especially the jury selection process. Do you get a say? Does your lawyer?
If your case is headed to trial, you’ll probably want to understand how jurors are chosen. Civil Litigation Attorney explains Colorado’s jury selection process in the video below.
Call 303-688-0944 to set up a case assessment with a member of our Litigation Team. You can also schedule online when you click here.
Juries are well-known for their all-important verdicts at trials. But a very important process happens before the trial even begins: the jury selection.
After a group of potential jurors is brought in from around the community, the judge and the attorney on each side of the case have the opportunity to question them. This is essentially to find out if any of the potential jurors have a conflict of interest that would prevent a fair trial.
During this process, the judge and the attorneys can challenge jurors for what is called cause. Cause just means an attorney or the judge thinks one of the jurors has some sort of conflict of interest.
For instance, one attorney may believe a potential juror favors one side over the other. The potential juror may have a relationship to one of the party’s employer. That potential juror could be dismissed to ensure a fair trial.
Another important part of jury selection is the peremptory challenge. This is a challenge in addition to the challenge for cause.
During the peremptory challenge, attorneys from both side can challenge a perspective juror for any reason. This challenge allows an attorney to get rid of certain jurors they think may not help their case.
During the peremptory challenge, a potential juror can be thrown out for any reason. The exception to this is for discriminatory reasons, such as race.
Remember, the jury will determine the outcome of your case, and jury selection can make or break it. That’s why it’s important to have an attorney experienced in jury selection.
Reach out to Robinson & Henry for a case assessment. Call 303-688-0944 to set up that appointment, or you can schedule online when you click here.