Week of November 1, 2026: Preserving Cause Challenges and Ethical Juror Research

This week we cover cause challenge preservation, the cause-or-peremptory triage decision, and ethical juror research logging.

Cause Challenge Preservation Checklist: What to Say, When to Say It, and What Must Be in the Record — A denied cause challenge is only preserved for appeal if counsel makes an express record of the ground, the ruling, the curative strike, and the final seated juror before the panel is sworn. — https://www.strikelistai.com/blog/cause-challenge-preservation-checklist-what-to-say-when-to-say-it-and-what-must-be-in-the-record/

Cause or Peremptory? A Voir Dire Triage Matrix for the Last Five Minutes — When a juror gives a troubling but ambiguous answer late in voir dire, a five-factor score weighing legal sufficiency against strike scarcity helps decide between cause and a peremptory. — https://www.strikelistai.com/blog/cause-or-peremptory-a-voir-dire-triage-matrix-for-the-last-five-minutes/

The Ethical Juror-Research Log: What to Search, What to Save, and What to Disclose — Public juror research is fair game, but most lawyers have no defensible workflow for logging searches, preserving captures, and disclosing findings when a judge asks. — https://www.strikelistai.com/blog/the-ethical-juror-research-log-what-to-search-what-to-save-and-what-to-disclose/