A challenge for cause asserts that a juror is unable to serve impartially due to bias, relationship to a party, or inability to follow the law. Challenges are unlimited in number and decided by the court.
The juror may be rehabilitated through further questioning.
Alternative Names:
For-Cause Challenge, Cause Challenge
Why it Matters?
Preserving peremptory strikes is the practical value, since every juror removed for cause is one a party need not spend a strike on. That makes developing the cause record worthwhile even where rehabilitation seems likely. Denial of a cause challenge is also preserved for appeal only if the party exhausts peremptory strikes and identifies an objectionable juror who remained, which is a preservation sequence worth knowing before selection.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Why pursue cause challenges aggressively?
How is a denied cause challenge preserved?
