May 2022 Bar Bulletin

Another Zoom trial begins and the judge instructs the first panel of twenty potential jurors on the trial logistics. They will join everyday by Zoom. They will not be required to come to the courthouse. They must always stay on camera. You know the drill. Then, the court turns attention to the lawyers for attorney voir dire. “You have twenty minutes.”
Jurors sit in their homes, cars, or private workspaces. They try to keep their eyes on the screen. They long to get on with their lives. When the attorney jumps in to begin her voir dire, she does not ask how the jury...