A civil case is heard by a jury of eight. A criminal case is heard by a jury of twelve. Alternate jurors may be chosen to replace jurors who become ill or otherwise unable to finish the trial.
A larger group, called a panel, will be sent to the courtroom where the jurors will be questioned under the supervision of the judge. A juror may be excused from the panel if it is shown that the juror cannot act impartially concerning the case to be heard.
In addition, each side is allowed to remove a given number of jurors from the panel without having to show any reason, called peremptory challenge. A panel member may challenge for cause if the questioning indicates that he or she might be biased.
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