Law Commons^™

Voir Dire Of Jurors: Constitutional Limits To The Right Of Inquiry Into Prejudice, Jeffrey M. Gaba

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Although the voir dire of jurors is one of the most significant mechanisms by which an impartial jury is secured, as a practical matter the right to examine prospective jurors is not unlimited. Vested with great discretion, a trial judge may at some point constitutionally preclude inquiry into possible prejudice, but determining that point has not proved to be easy. In 1976, the Supreme Court in Ristaino v. Ross directly considered the constitutional limits to voir dire and provided a test which could serve as a guide to trial court administration of the process. The Court suggested that questioning about …