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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Hon. Michael McShane, Chief Judge

Melissa Aubin, Clerk of Court

LR 47 - Selecting Jurors

(See Fed. R. Civ. P. 47)

LR 47-1 Selecting Jurors

(a) Examination of Jurors - Generally

The Court will conduct the voir dire examination of jurors. The matter of attorney voir dire can be addressed with the trial judge at the preliminary pretrial conference.

(b) Supplemental Questions by the Parties

Counsel may submit and serve any questions which they desire to be propounded to the jurors at such time as the Court orders. If there is no such order, questions must be submitted at least seven days before trial.

LR 47-2 Challenges for Cause (See Fed. R. Civ. P. 47(c))

Challenges to excuse a juror for cause will be taken orally.

LR 47-3 Peremptory Challenges (See Fed. R. Civ. P. 47(b))

(a) Numbers of Peremptory Challenges (See 28 U.S.C. § 1870)

The trial judge will establish the number of peremptory challenges at the final pretrial conference.

(b) Procedures for Exercising Peremptory Challenges

Unless otherwise directed by the Court, the parties will exercise their peremptory challenges in the following manner:

Step (1) Prior to the commencement of the trial, the courtroom deputy clerk will prepare a seating chart - or a numbered list - showing the names and seated positions of the jurors to be examined.

Step (2) When the time comes to exercise peremptory challenges, the clerk will circulate the seating chart between the parties, starting with the plaintiff.

Step (3) Peremptory challenges will be exercised one at a time, starting with the plaintiff, and alternating between the parties until completed.

Step (4) A party may exercise a peremptory challenge by circling the juror's name on the seating chart, and marking the chart with the number of the challenge, e.g., P-1, D-1, and so forth.

Step (5) If a party elects to pass a peremptory challenge, the decision to pass will be counted as though the challenge had been exercised. However, it will not constitute a waiver of subsequent challenges unless there are no subsequent challenges by any other party.


Amendment History to LR 47
June 1, 2002
LR 47.2(b) ". . . and serve" was added.
December 1, 2009
LR 47 Modified caption.
LR 47.1 Former LR 47.1(a) deleted and subsection (b) moved to LR 41-1.
Subsequent rules renumbered.
LR 47-1(b) Deadline for parties to submit supplemental questions changed from "three (3)" days to "seven (7)" days before trial.
March 1, 2014
LR 47-1(b) Changed "seven (7)" to "seven." At Step 3, removed hyphens from "one-at-a-time."

LR 1 - Scope and Purpose

LR 3 - Commencement of Action

LR 4 - Summons

LR 5 - Service and Filing of Pleadings and Papers

LR 5.2 - Redaction of Filings

LR 6 - Computing Time After Service

LR 7 - Motions Practice

LR 7.1 - Disclosure Statement

LR 10 - Form of Pleadings and Other Documents

LR 11 - Signature Requirements

LR 15 - Amended and Supplemental Pleadings

LR 16 - Pretrial Conferences, Scheduling, and Case Management

LR 17 – Claims Involving Protected Persons Under Fed. R. Civ. P. 17(c)

LR 23 - Class Actions

LR 26 - Discovery

LR 27 - Depositions: Before Action or Pending Appeal

LR 28 - Depositions in a Foreign Country

LR 29 - Stipulations About Discovery Procedure

LR 30 - Depositions

LR 33 - Interrogatories

LR 34 - Requests for Production

LR 36 - Requests for Admission

LR 37 - Motions to Compel

LR 38 - Right to a Jury Trial

LR 40 - Scheduling Cases for Trial

LR 41 - Dismissal of Action

LR 42 - Consolidation; Separate Trials

LR 45 - Subpoena

LR 47 - Selecting Jurors

LR 48 - Jurors and Participation in the Verdict

LR 51 - Instructions to the Jury

LR 54 - Bill of Costs and Attorney Fees

LR 55 - Default

LR 56 - Summary Judgment

LR 65 - Injunctions and Restraining Orders

LR 65.1 - Securities and Sureties

LR 67 - Deposits in Court

LR 68 - Offer of Judgment

LR 72 - Magistrate Judges: Pretrial Order

LR 73 - Magistrate Judges: Trial by Consent

LR 77 - Conducting Business; Clerk's Authority; Notice of an Order or Judgment

LR 79 - Records Kept by the Clerk

LR 81 - Habeas Corpus Petitions

LR 83 - Rules and Directives - By the District Court

LR 100 - Rule Governing CM/ECF: Case Management and Electronic Case Filing - Practices

Timetable for Lawyers