Legal Definitions - pack

In a legal context, to pack means to deliberately select or arrange the members of a group, such as a jury, committee, or tribunal, with the specific intention of influencing their decisions or findings to achieve a predetermined, desired outcome.

Here are some examples to illustrate this term:

• Imagine a highly publicized criminal trial where the defense attorney strategically uses their limited peremptory challenges during jury selection. Instead of simply removing obviously biased jurors, the attorney systematically dismisses potential jurors who have any professional background in law enforcement or who express strong support for strict sentencing guidelines, aiming to seat a jury perceived as more lenient or sympathetic to the defendant's circumstances.

  This illustrates packing because the attorney is not merely seeking impartiality but is actively manipulating the jury's composition to increase the likelihood of a favorable verdict for their client by removing individuals likely to hold opposing views.

• Consider a large corporation facing accusations of environmental negligence. The company's board of directors decides to form an "independent" internal investigative committee. However, the board exclusively appoints individuals to this committee who are known for their unwavering loyalty to the current CEO and who have a history of downplaying environmental concerns within the company.

  This is an example of packing because the board is intentionally structuring the committee with members whose predispositions are expected to lead to findings that exonerate or minimize the culpability of the current leadership, rather than conducting a truly impartial and objective investigation.

• In a political scenario, a legislative body is tasked with redrawing electoral district boundaries. The majority party, responsible for appointing members to the independent redistricting commission, ensures that all appointees are individuals who have previously worked for or donated heavily to that specific party, and who have publicly advocated for redistricting strategies that favor the incumbent party.

  This demonstrates packing because the majority party is deliberately composing the commission with members whose known political affiliations and views are expected to result in district maps that give their party a significant electoral advantage, rather than creating fair and balanced districts.