Artemis Malekpour · Amy Pardieck · David Ball · Eric Oliver
Better Voir Dire with Amy Pardieck, Eric Oliver, Artemis Malekpour & David Ball
April 14, 2022 5:30 PM||TLU n Demand
Amy Pardieck, Eric Oliver, Artemis Malekpour, David Ball return to their popular TLU programs to answer your questions about voir dire.
Purposes of voir dire
Blunders and dangers
Group dynamics
Creating a cohesive jury
Educating, “conditioning,” or unifying the jury Analyzing, using juror answers Use of strikes Juror’s tone, demeanor, etc.
Evaluating answers
Pursuing cause dismissals
Demographics and selection
Counsel conduct, tone, demeanor, appearance in voir dire Written questionnaires Internet/social media sources Get jurors talking Using the group Creating jury cohesion Jury bias questioning Judge’s concerns (time, small venire, etc.) Observing prospective jurors Self-training for better juror evaluator Who conducts voir dire?
Self-revelations
Your tone, demeanor, appearance
Social/political climate and voir dire
Local conditions, culture, concerns, attitudes State or national social/political/economic/cultural conditions Covid Stranger Danger How to Ask voir dire questions How to follow up What to Ask about nature or topics of the case -attitudes about lawyer, experts, plaintiffs, , corporations, government -safety regulations involved in the case -standards, rules, expectations related to the case -attitudes towards damages elements Jury instructions, verdict issues, law questions Preponderance Attitudes about responsibility Personal characteristics that can affect decision-making in the case Leader characteristics Seeking cause dismissal Rehabilitation by judge, O.C. (“You can be fair, can’t you?) Spotting biases Getting jurors to admit socially negative attitudes Life experiences related to decision-making Attitude strength Favorable juror characteristics Dangerous juror characteristics “Poisoning” the venire Inoculation against upcoming poison questions from the defense Improvements to request: more time, topic leeway, number of jurors questioned at once, striking only after all jurors are questioned, etc.)
