Legal Definitions - packing a jury

Packing a jury refers to the unethical and often illegal practice of deliberately manipulating the jury selection process to ensure the final jury is composed of individuals who are likely to be biased in favor of one party in a legal case, or to achieve a specific desired outcome.

This manipulation undermines the fundamental principle of an impartial jury, which is crucial for a fair trial. It typically involves using challenges (either "for cause" or "peremptory") during jury selection not to remove genuinely biased jurors, but to strategically exclude or include jurors based on perceived leanings related to their background, beliefs, or demographics.

• Example 1: In a high-profile civil lawsuit involving a large corporation accused of environmental damage, the corporation's legal team extensively researched potential jurors' social media profiles and past donations to environmental causes. During jury selection, they used their peremptory challenges to systematically remove any potential jurors who had expressed pro-environmental views or supported related organizations, aiming to seat a jury less likely to be sympathetic to the plaintiffs' claims. This strategic removal of jurors based on their perceived leanings, rather than their inability to be impartial, illustrates an attempt at packing a jury.

• Example 2: A prosecutor in a criminal trial involving alleged police misconduct was observed using an unusually high number of peremptory challenges to strike potential jurors who were young, from minority backgrounds, or had expressed any skepticism about law enforcement in their questionnaires. The defense argued that the prosecutor was attempting to create a jury that would be more inclined to trust police testimony and less likely to question the actions of the officers involved, thereby packing a jury in favor of the prosecution.

• Example 3: During a politically charged trial concerning campaign finance violations, one political party's legal strategists advised the defense team to focus on selecting jurors from specific geographic areas known for strong support of that party, and to challenge any potential jurors who had publicly supported opposing political figures. Their goal was to assemble a jury that would be inherently more sympathetic to the defendant's political affiliations and potentially more forgiving of the alleged violations, demonstrating an effort to pack a jury with favorable individuals.