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Term Definition Impanel Jury - the process by which a court clerk makes a roster of jurors selected by voir dire, a French term meaning "to speak the truth."
Application in Divorce The selection of a jury and voir dire are the way an unbiased jury is assembled. The object of voir dire is to eliminate biased individuals who preconceptions about the case and the parties involved make it impossible for them to be unbiased. In some cases, jury selection and impaneling is a long and cumbersome process. Both sides are permitted a certain number of challenges for cause and preemptory challenges, which may be made without stated reason. These efforts are taken, however, to guarantee an impartial jury, as mandated by the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution.

In both civil and criminal litigation, an unprejudiced, disinterested, equitable and just jury is the ideal.

In high-stakes cases involving corporations, defendants take great time and effort in jury selection. In most civil cases, the selection of reasonable men and women is deemed sufficient.

Divorce trials are almost always bench trials, which means they are tried without a jury.

Texas and Georgia are the only two states that permit jury trials for divorce.