Mastering voir dire and jury selection : gain an edge in questioning and selecting your jury

The voir dire and jury selection process is one of the most challenging aspects of a jury trial. It is at this time that lawyers must identify and remove potential jurors who harbor some bias or hold beliefs that would make them less beneficial than others. Success in jury selection requires lawyers to draw upon a number of basic skills. These skills include the ability to:

Operate effectively within the jury selection system in the trial jurisdiction Attain the major goals of voir dire (i.e., gathering info, rapport, education, and persuasion) Identify critical opinions, biases, and experiences of jurors that can influence their decisions Encourage jurors to reveal important information about themselves Utilize the information about their opinions and feelings that potential jurors communicate through their nonverbal behavior Develop and ask the questions on voir dire necessary to uncover desired information Employ methods for handling common situations and problems (e.g., reluctant jurors, difficult jurors, stealth jurors, negative spirals, and pretrial publicity) that arise during voir dire Capitalize on the information available through the use of juror questionnaires Effectively utilize information available on jurors through Internet sources and minimize potential threats to jury trials posed by the Internet
¦ Operate effectively in courts-martial member selections
¦ Exercise peremptory challenges and challenges for cause in a manner that removes the least desirable potential jurors

The goal of this book is to promote the skills needed to be successful in the area of voir dire and jury selection. It is through the sharpening of these skills that lawyers take a major step in improving the chances of a favorable verdict at trial.

Mastering Voir Dire and Jury Selection: Gain an Edge in Questioning and Selecting Your Jury goes beyond other books on jury selection in its focus on the skills needed to conduct effective voir dire and jury selection. Having a list of questions to ask is only a starting point. Conducting effective voir dire and jury selection requires developing strategies that secure the necessary information and adapt to the unique circumstances that lawyers face in their trial jurisdictions. Effective jury selection does not result from memorizing questions from a book. It is a dynamic process that places a premium on knowing what is needed and how to get it.

Praise for Mastering Voir Dire and Jury Selection

"Jury selection is the most important and often the least known trial lawyer skill. Mastering Voir Dire is by far the most complete and effective jury selection guide available. ... It has simple, short examples from real trials tied to hard-core research and common sense. I have tried many cases, but what I used to know has changed in this digital world. Thanks for Mastering Voir Dire."
--Morris Dees, Founder and Chief Trial Attorney, Southern Poverty Law Center

"The much anticipated Fourth Edition of Mastering Voir Dire and Jury Selection confirms Dr. Jeffrey Frederick as America's foremost jury expert. With this thoroughly updated and lucidly written work, Frederick moves the needle in demonstrating how practicing lawyers can identify open-minded jurors and craft winning case narratives. A must-read book for the trial bar if ever there was one."
--John Monahan, Shannon Distinguished Professor of Law and Psychology, University of Virginia School of Law

• Acknowledgments p. ix
• Introduction p. xi
• About the Author p. xvii
• Chapter 1 The Voir Dire and Jury Selection Setting p. 1
• Goals of Jury Selection and Voir Dire p. 2
• Information Gathering p. 3
• Rapport p. 3
• Education p. 4
• Persuasion p. 4
• Voir Dire and Jury Selection Procedures p. 5
• Voir Dire Style p. 5
• Methods of Exercising Peremptory Challenges p. 7
• Chapter 2 Jurors' Backgrounds, Experiences, and Opinions p. 13
• The Story Model p. 13
• The Viewpoints of Jurors p. 14
• Stereotypes p. 14
• Backgrounds p. 16
• Experiences p. 19
• Direct Versus Indirect Experience p. 19
• Ski Case Example p. 23
• CSI Effect p. 23
• Global Opinions and Personality Traits p. 25
• Authoritarianism p. 25
• Equity p. 28
• Case-Specific Opinions p. 31
• Legal Opinions p. 35
• Chapter 3 Understanding Jurors' Nonverbal Communication p. 43
• Types of Nonverbal Communication p. 43
• Visual Cues: What We See p. 45
• Body Movement p. 45
• Body Posture p. 46
• Body Orientation p. 47
• Inadvertent Emblems p. 48
• Shrugs p. 48
• Eye Contact p. 49
• Facial Expressions p. 50
• Microexpressions p. 51
• Auditory Cues: What We Hear p. 51
• Speech Disturbances p. 51
• Vocal Hesitancy p. 52
• Rising Pitch p. 53
• Amount of Speech p. 53
• Speed of Speech p. 54
• Tone of Voice p. 54
• Tense Laughter p. 55
• Word Choice p. 55
• How to Evaluate Jurors' Nonverbal Communication p. 57
• Establish a Baseline p. 57
• Evaluate Changes in Jurors' Responses p. 58
• Notice Patterns and Inconsistencies p. 58
• Seek Clarification p. 59
• Watch Jurors' Sources of Support p. 59
• Observe Jurors at All Times p. 59
• Chapter 4 Preparing for Voir Dire p. 63
• Case Analysis p. 63
• The Theme of the Case p. 64
• Flie Strengths and Weaknesses of the Case p. 64
• The Nature and Extent of Pretrial Publicity p. 66
• Important Opinions and Attitudes of Jurors p. 67
• Important Experiences and Reference Groups of Jurors p. 68
• Potential Grounds for Challenges for Cause p. 68
• Statement of Contentions/Mini-Opening p. 69
• Opposing Counsel's Important Voir Dire Topics and Questions p. 70
• Question Development p. 71
• Information Gathering p. 72
• Rapport p. 78
• Education p. 79
• Persuasion p. 82
• Chapter 5 Conducting Voir Dire p. 95
• Obstacles to Effective Voir Dire p. 95
• Social Interaction Skills p. 96
• Communication Skills p. 96
• Interview Techniques p. 101
• Structuring the Voir Dire p. 104
• Flexibility p. 104
• Organization of Voir Dire p. 105
• Reduced Information Settings p. 121
• Restricted Content p. 121
• Group Questioning Techniques p. 123
• Judge-Conducted Voir Dire p. 136
• Chapter 6 Common Situations and Problems in Voir Dire p. 143
• Reluctant Jurors p. 143
• Encouraging Reluctant Jurors p. 144
• Defusing Controversial Issues p. 146
• Difficult Jurors p. 149
• Dealing with Difficult Jurors p. 151
• Stealth Jurors p. 158
• Identifying and Dealing with Stealth Jurors p. 160
• Negative Spiraling p. 162
• Breaking the Negative Spiral p. 162
• Good Jurors p. 164
• Using Good Jurors During Voir Dire p. 164
• Pretrial Publicity p. 166
• Conducting Questioning on Pretrial Publicity p. 166
• Case Example: Pretrial Publicity and the Case of Oliver North p. 169
• Chapter 7 Juror Questionnaires p. 177
• What Are Supplemental Juror Questionnaires? p. 178
• How to Use Supplemental Juror Questionnaires p. 180
• Supplemental Juror Questionnaire Checklist p. 187
• Format of Juror Questionnaires p. 188
• Introduction p. 189
• Background Information p. 192
• Knowledge of Witnesses, Lawyers, and Parties p. 199
• Awareness of the Case p. 204
• Opinions and Perceptions p. 211
• Oath or Affirmation p. 220
• Designing the Questionnaire p. 222
• Choosing the Question Format p. 222
• Phrasing of Questions p. 226
• Designing the Questionnaire Format p. 237
• Maximizing the Utility of Restricted-Length Questionnaires p. 242
• Managing the Information p. 244
• Computer-Assisted Processing p. 247
• Chapter 8 Jurors and the Internet p. 253
• The Internet as a Tool in Jury Selection p. 256
• Public Records p. 256
• Involvement in Politics p. 256
• Causes and Interests p. 257
• Juror Websites and Social Networking Websites p. 258
• News/Media Stories p. 259
• Blogging and Live Journaling p. 259
• Other Internet Sources p. 260
• Avoiding the Pitfalls of Internet Research p. 260
• The Threat to the Jury System p. 261
• Allure of the Internet p. 262
• Internet Searches p. 262
• Litigation-Related Websites/Pages p. 263
• Posting/Tweeting by Parties/Representatives During Trial p. 264
• Victim Websites p. 265
• Jurors Posting/Tweeting p. 265
• Jurors Friending Trial Participants p. 267
• What Can Be Done p. 269
• Know What Is Out There p. 269
• Establish the Footprints and Preferences of Jurors p. 269
• Jury Instructions p. 271
• Affirmative Actions/Commitments by Jurors p. 273
• Monitor Juror Web Activity During Trial p. 273
• Do Not "Friend" p. 275
• Chapter 9 Member Selection in General Courts-Martial p. 285
• General Courts-Martial: The Basics p. 286
• Creation of the Member Pool p. 287
• Member Selection at Trial p. 290
• General Voir Dire Process p. 290
• The Four-Stage Selection Process p. 293
• The Four-Stage Process: Two Special Considerations p. 294
• Pretrial Information p. 294
• Group Voir Dire p. 296
• Individual Voir Dire p. 299
• Exercising Challenges p. 301
• The Deliberation Process p. 302
• Chapter 10 Evaluating Potential Jurors p. 309
• Collecting Information on Potential Jurors p. 309
• Pretrial Information p. 309
• Trial Information p. 312
• The Jury as a Group p. 313
• Individual Participation p. 313
• Group Dynamics p. 315
• Integrating Information: The Final Evaluation of Jurors p. 317
• Recording Information p. 317
• Systematic Evaluation: Assigning Values to Jurors p. 323
• Chapter 11 Selecting the Jury p. 331
• Preparing for Jury Selection p. 331
• Preventing Jurors from Serving on the Jury p. 334
• Challenges for Cause p. 334
• Peremptory Challenges p. 335
• Conducting Jury Selection in Light of Batson and J.E.B p. 346
• Strategies for Exercising Peremptory Challenges p. 348
• Sequential Method p. 349
• Struck Method p. 351
• Appendix I Example of a Motion for Suggested Voir Dire Procedures and the Use of a Supplemental Juror Questionnaire in a Possession of Child Pornography Case p. 357
• Appendix II Sample Opinion Questions for Selected Criminal Voir Dire Topics p. 447
• Appendix III Sample Opinion Questions for Selected Civil Voir Dire Topics p. 479
• Appendix IV List of Juror Questionnaires p. 507
• Appendix V Proposed Questionnaires Submitted by the United States Attorney's Office and the Federal Public Defender's Office in United States v. Zacarias Moussaoui p. 523
• Appendix VI Motion to Compel Appointment of Expert Assistance in Member Selection and Trial Judge's Order Granting the Appointment p. 625
• Appendix VII Plaintiff's Memorandum in Support of Oral Batson Motion p. 705
• Index p. 719