challenge to the array

Plain English

A challenge to the array is a claim that the entire jury pool (called the venire) is biased or wasn't properly selected according to law. Instead of objecting to individual jurors one by one, this challenge attacks the whole group, arguing that the selection process was flawed or that the pool doesn't fairly represent the community. If successful, the court may dismiss the entire jury pool and start over with a new one.

Example

A defendant's attorney argues that the jury pool was drawn only from a wealthy neighborhood and doesn't include poor or working-class residents, making it unrepresentative of the community. The attorney files a challenge to the array, asking the judge to dismiss the entire pool.

Used in a sentence

“The defense filed a challenge to the array, claiming the jury selection process systematically excluded minorities.”

Related terms