Art. 932 Jurors, juries, and jury venires

This rule explains some basic words used in Louisiana criminal court cases involving juries. It sets out what certain terms mean so there is no confusion later in the legal process.

A "juror" can mean someone serving on either a grand jury or a regular trial jury. A "petit jury" is the specific jury that actually hears a case and decides if someone is guilty or not guilty. This is different from a grand jury, which decides whether there is enough evidence to charge someone with a crime in the first place.

A "panel" refers to the group of people picked from a larger pool of potential jurors to actually serve on a grand jury or petit jury. Courts start with a big list of possible jurors, called a venire, and then narrow it down to the panel that will do the actual work of the jury.