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Selecting Jury in a Criminal Trial in Texas | Houston Criminal Defense

Dan Cogdell | 1093 Views | 09/04/2015

Importance of Selecting a Jury in a Criminal Trial

You’re charged with either a federal offense or a state offense here in the state of Texas, and you’re asking yourself, “How important is selecting a jury in my case?” Hello. My name is Dan Cogdell. I’m a criminal defense lawyer here in the state of Texas, I have been for 32 years.

The answer to the question, How important is the jury or selecting a jury in a case, is pretty simple. It’s the most important thing there is in any trial. What jury you have in all likelihood is going to determine how fair the trial you get.

When I speak at seminars and bar conventions and the like, I always liken jury selection to a Paul Simon song. Remember Paul Simon for the artist Simon & Garfunkel? I think Paul Simon wrote the best song about jury selection that’s ever been written, and it didn’t have anything to do with jury selection. There is a song called The Boxer, and it’s about, not surprisingly, a boxer. But there is a line in that Paul Simon song that says, “A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” In my view that’s what jury selection is all about.

Selecting the Right Jury

If you get the right juror in that box, he is going to listen to what you have to say and disregard the rest. If you get the wrong juror in that box, he is going to disregard what you have to say and listen to the rest. It’s the alpha and the omega of criminal trials. Simply there is nothing more important in a criminal trial than selecting the right jury. That’s why it is so important that you hire a lawyer that has experience in your types of case as a criminal defense lawyer, not as an ex-prosecutor, not as an ex-judge, not as an ex-law enforcement officer, or whatever.

Hire a lawyer who knows how to pick your jury for the right result in your case. Nothing is more important in our system of justice than jury selection. My name is Dan Cogdell. If you have questions, if you need answers, or if you simply want to talk about the jury selection process in general, call me. I’m here to help you if we can. Thank you.

By: Dan Cogdell

Selecting Jury in a Criminal Trial in Texas | Houston Criminal Defense

Importance of Selecting a Jury in a Criminal Trial

You’re charged with either a federal offense or a state offense here in the state of Texas, and you’re asking yourself, “How important is selecting a jury in my case?” Hello. My name is Dan Cogdell. I’m a criminal defense lawyer here in the state of Texas, I have been for 32 years.

The answer to the question, How important is the jury or selecting a jury in a case, is pretty simple. It’s the most important thing there is in any trial. What jury you have in all likelihood is going to determine how fair the trial you get.

When I speak at seminars and bar conventions and the like, I always liken jury selection to a Paul Simon song. Remember Paul Simon for the artist Simon & Garfunkel? I think Paul Simon wrote the best song about jury selection that’s ever been written, and it didn’t have anything to do with jury selection. There is a song called The Boxer, and it’s about, not surprisingly, a boxer. But there is a line in that Paul Simon song that says, “A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.” In my view that’s what jury selection is all about.

Selecting the Right Jury

If you get the right juror in that box, he is going to listen to what you have to say and disregard the rest. If you get the wrong juror in that box, he is going to disregard what you have to say and listen to the rest. It’s the alpha and the omega of criminal trials. Simply there is nothing more important in a criminal trial than selecting the right jury. That’s why it is so important that you hire a lawyer that has experience in your types of case as a criminal defense lawyer, not as an ex-prosecutor, not as an ex-judge, not as an ex-law enforcement officer, or whatever.

Hire a lawyer who knows how to pick your jury for the right result in your case. Nothing is more important in our system of justice than jury selection. My name is Dan Cogdell. If you have questions, if you need answers, or if you simply want to talk about the jury selection process in general, call me. I’m here to help you if we can. Thank you.

By: Dan Cogdell