July 25, 2006

Because of a Texas Supreme Court decision in a case called Hyundai v. Vasquez, it won't be as easy for trial lawyers in the Lone Star State to get prospective jurors dismissed for cause, or on grounds of prejudice, through the use of trick questions designed to get them to state that they cannot be fair in handling facts unfavorable to the lawyer's position. In the case at hand, "this line of voir dire questioning in fact eliminated not one but two complete panels of prospective jurors, reports Hugh Rice Kelly of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, who hails the Hyundai decision as "a major step toward restoring the integrity of the jury system".