Rule 47 Selecting Jurors

When picking a jury for a trial, the judge decides how the questioning of potential jurors will work. The judge might let the lawyers ask questions directly, or the judge might ask the questions instead. Even if the judge handles the questioning, the lawyers still get a chance to ask follow-up questions, or they can ask the judge to bring up specific topics they think matter.

Lawyers also get a certain number of chances to remove potential jurors without giving a reason. This is called a peremptory challenge, and the rules for how many are allowed come from a separate Virgin Islands law (Title 5, Section 323).

Once the trial starts, the judge can still remove a juror if there's a good reason, even during deliberations. This gives the court flexibility if a problem comes up with a juror after the trial has already begun.