How Are Juries Selected in Las Vegas Car Accident Court Cases?

Many people wonder how juries are selected in Las Vegas auto accident cases. Potential jurors are questioned regarding their ability to act as jurors. This questioning is called “voir dire”. Most state court judges in Nevada, start this process off by asking questions of potential jurors to see if any of them could qualify to be on the jury. So, anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or has a felony conviction, would not be eligible to sit on a jury in Nevada.

When the judge asks their questions, it is usually of a broad nature. For example, if someone has a nursing baby at home and they therefore cannot be in a two week trial. These reasons to be off the jury are called “hardship” reasons and the judge may excuse a juror if severe hardship is present.

Once the judge finishes this initial canvassing, then each side gets to ask the jurors specific questions. If any juror is embarrassed or would like privacy when answering certain questions, then that particular juror can be questioned out of the presence of the rest of the potential jury members.

In most cases, strict time limits are not imposed on the time each side is allowed to ask questions of the jury. During this questioning process, both sides can seek to exclude potential jurors in two ways. The first way is for “cause”. The second one is called a “peremptory challenge”.

When a potential juror is excused for “cause”, it means that there is a specific reason that they would not be a fair and impartial juror. For example, if a juror knows one of the parties, then they would be unable to be a juror, since their personal relationship with one of the parties, could affect their verdict. Additionally, if a potential juror says that they cannot follow the rules of law as stated by the judge, then they too would be excused for cause. However, if a juror is excused for cause on a particular case, that juror could be asked to be a potential juror in another case. Once all of the potential jurors have been excused from service for cause, then both sides can simply exclude jurors without having a specific reason. 

Both sides take turns in using their peremptory challenge. A list gets passed back and forth between each side, with each side getting to cross off a potential juror off the list. The number of peremptory challenges varies in civil and criminal cases. Once the total number of strikes are made, then the judge has the remaining people enter the jury box and the case begins. Jury selection, called voir dire, is an important part of a trial and allows everyday citizens to take part in our justice system.

Next time, we will discuss what can you expect during a deposition in Las Vegas injury court cases.