Local Rule Rule 47.1: VOIR DIRE EXAMINATION

Rule 47.1 VOIR DIRE EXAMINATION

(a) Conducting. Subject to the provisions of Fed. R. Civ. P. 47, examination of prospective jurors shall be primarily by the Court and by counsel as may be permitted by the Court. Insofar as counsel can reasonably anticipate a need for specific questions, such questions shall be submitted to the Court in writing prior to the commencement of the trial in accordance with the time limits set by the presiding judge.

(b) Limits on Scope of Voir Dire. The purpose of the voir dire examination is to select a panel of jurors who will fairly and impartially hear the evidence and render a just verdict according to the law as instructed. The Court will not permit counsel to attempt to precondition prospective jurors to a particular result, comment on the personal lives and families of the parties or their attorneys, or question jurors concerning the pleadings, the law, the meaning of words, or the comfort of jurors. Neither shall counsel instruct the jury on the law, argue the case or ask a juror what the juror's verdict might be under any hypothetical circumstances. Absent follow up to a particular juror's response, counsel shall avoid asking questions of an individual juror that can be asked of the panel or a group of jurors collectively.