Chapter 8 Jury Questionnaires

• Library: Picking a Civil Jury: A Guide for Illinois Trial Lawyers (2015 Ed.)

CHAPTER 8 - JURY QUESTIONNAIRES

"Questionnaires are used in virtually all high-profile cases .... The practice of using questionnaires in both civil and criminal litigation, though, is not limited to high-profile cases. Some courts rather routinely use jury questionnaires, but the intrusive voir dire questioning and the highly discretionary use of jury questionnaires probably play a significant role in the reluctance of citizens to report for jury duty."
Joseph A. Colquitt, Using Jury Questionnaires; (Ab)Using Jurors, 40 Conn. L. Rev. 1 (2007).

In most jurisdictions in Illinois, a short questionnaire is sent to the prospective jurors at the time they are summoned for jury duty. The questions - and the answers - are made available to the court and the attorneys just before voir dire begins. Usually, this type of questionnaire is only used by the court and the litigants. It is often referred to simply as a "qualification questionnaire" since it primarily seeks to determine whether the prospective juror meets the statutory requirements for being a juror. The questionnaire reduces the time you or the court may have to spend verbally asking such questions during voir dire. The qualification questionnaire is usually completed by hand in the jury assembly room. Some jurisdictions have started providing their residents with online questionnaires to either submit online or print and submit in person when arriving for jury service.

The court has wide discretion in deciding whether or to what extent to use more extensive juror questionnaires after the jurors have been summoned and after the jury selection process...