How are jurors selected?
In Dauphin County, jurors are selected from Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) licensing records. In June of each year, names are randomly selected from the PennDOT list and those selected are sent a juror qualification questionnaire. Information from the returned questionnaires is entered into the computer system and used for the selection of jurors for the next year. An array is selected for each trial term. Jurors report the Monday of each court term to the Assembly Room located on the ground floor of the Dauphin County Courthouse. When a courtroom is ready to call a case for trial, a panel of 28 or more jurors is randomly selected and sent to the courtroom. Voir Dire (the preliminary examination of an individuals qualifications to be a juror for a particular case) is conducted by both the judge and the attorneys. The purpose is to ascertain whether any views held by a potential juror would hinder the prospective jurors ability to act impartially. It is very importa
