Rule 47(b). Manner of selection and order of examination of jurors. - Montana Statutes

     Rule 47(b). Manner of selection and order of examination of jurors. From the entire jury panel, an initial panel of 20 jurors shall be called in the first instance, and before any voir dire examination of the jury shall be had. Examination of all jurors in the initial panel shall be completed by the plaintiff before examination by the defendant. If challenges for cause are allowed, an additional juror shall be called from the entire panel immediately upon the allowance of challenge, and the juror called to replace the juror excused for cause shall take the number of the juror who has been excused, to provide a full initial panel of 20 jurors, whose examination shall be completed before any peremptory challenges are made. When the voir dire examination has been completed, each side shall have four peremptory challenges, and they shall be exercised by the plaintiff first striking one, the defendant than striking one, and so on, until each side has exhausted or waived its right. In event one or more alternate jurors are called, the next jurors remaining in the initial panel, if any, shall be called by the clerk to be the alternate jurors. In event all jurors remaining of original initial panel of 20 jurors, including those substituted for those jurors excused for cause, have been subjected to peremptory challenge, then the clerk shall call additional jurors from the remainder of the jury panel to provide alternate jurors who will be subject to challenge as provided by law. In event there is more than one party defendant, and should it appear that each defendant is entitled to peremptory challenges, then the original panel shall be increased to provide four additional jurors for each defendant who is entitled to exercise peremptory challenges. The clerk shall keep a record of the order in which jurors are called, and in event the entire initial panel has not been exhausted by challenges, the court shall excuse sufficient of the last called jurors until a jury of 12 persons and the determined number of alternates shall remain to make up the trial jury.

     History: En. Sec. 47, Ch. 13, L. 1961; amd. Sup. Ct. Ord. 10750-9, May 21, 1969, eff. July 1, 1969.