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Thursday January 13, 2005 Previous | Next
Dear Yahoo!:
Can you request to serve on a particular jury?
Paul
Albion, Nebraska
Dear Paul:

No. The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states: "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed." Requesting to serve on a particular jury would indicate partiality.

Potential jurors are usually picked randomly from voter or vehicle registration lists, but the specifics vary from state to state. In some areas, they are sent a preliminary questionnaire to establish fundamentals like age and English proficiency. In other states, they are asked to phone in the night before to see if their service is needed or simply ordered to show up on a set date.

Once in court, prospective jurors are asked a number of questions by the prosecution and defense attorneys to try to pin down any extant partialities. This is a tricky, time-consuming process, as both counsels have to approve the prospective juror. In fact, jury selection is an entire branch of legal study.

Judges can excuse people for a number of reasons: they're related to someone in the case, they have a financial interest in the outcome, they've stated an opinion on how the case should be decided, they have a personal history that contributes to a particular bias, or the length of the trial will cause undue hardship.

 
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