impaneling
impaneling
n. the act of selecting a jury from the list of potential jurors, called the "panel" or "venire." The steps are: 1) drawing names at random from a large number of jurors called; 2) seating 12 tentative jurors (or six where agreed to); 3) hearing individual juror requests for being excused, to be determined by the judge; 4) questions from judge and lawyers for both sides; 5) challenges of tentative jurors either for cause (decided by the judge) or peremptory (no reason given) by the lawyers; 6) swearing in the jurors who survive this process. (See: jury, juror, challenge, panel, venire)