CCP 231.7 Trial Guide
Use this quick reference guide in real time while conducting voir dire
I’ve attached, in PDF form, a handy trial guide that you can use in real time while conducting jury selection during trial.
The purpose of the guide is to allow the attorney to quickly and effectively identify, object to, and offer argument on, the prosecutor’s use of peremptory challenges during selection. the guide is not intended to be an exhaustive analysis of CCP 231.7 caselaw. I’ve tried to simplify the approach to the statute; in so doing, I’ve consciously chosen to leave out some of the juicier legal issues regarding how CCP 231.7’s provisions are being interpreted by the lower courts.
Rather, the guide is intended to give an accurate, simplified understanding of how to approach jury selection under CCP 231.7 procedurally. The defense attorney can identify, in six easy steps, how to correctly bring a challenge under the (relatively) new law.
Don’t worry about the footnotes in the document. I chose to relegate authority to the footnotes because I didn’t want to blot up the page for the attorney who, in the heat of battle, doesn’t have time to consult the case law. If you require authority, however, simply consult the footnote.
Previous 231.7 cheat sheets have been sorta clunky. I hope this one does a little better. Please let me know what you think. Good luck.
My 231.7 trial guide is attached as a PDF to this post.
