Missouri Laws 494.480 – Peremptory challenges — civil cases, multiple parties, allocation — ..
1. In trials of civil causes each party shall be entitled to peremptorily challenge three jurors. When there are multiple plaintiffs or defendants, all plaintiffs and all defendants shall join in their challenges as if there were one plaintiff and one defendant. The court in its discretion may allocate the allowable peremptory challenges among the parties plaintiff or defendant upon good cause shown and as the ends of justice require. In all cases, the plaintiff shall announce its challenges first.
2. In all criminal cases, the state and the defendant shall be entitled to a peremptory challenge of jurors as follows:
Terms Used In Missouri Laws 494.480
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of the statutes, mean the section next preceding or next following that in which the reference is made, unless some other section is expressly designated in the reference. See Missouri Laws 1.020
- Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
- Juror: A person who is on the jury.
- Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
- Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
- State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
- Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
(1) If the offense charged is punishable by death, the state shall have the right to challenge nine and the defendant nine;
(2) In all other cases punishable by imprisonment in the penitentiary, the state shall have the right to challenge six and the defendant six;
(3) In all cases not punishable by death or imprisonment in the penitentiary, the state and the defendant shall each have the right to challenge two.
3. In all criminal cases where several defendants are tried together, the following provisions shall apply:
(1) Each defendant then on trial shall be allowed separate peremptory challenges as provided in subsection 2 of this section;
(2) The number of peremptory challenges allowed the state by subsection 2 of this section shall be multiplied by the number of defendants then on trial in each case.
4. Within such time as may be ordered by the court, the state shall announce its peremptory challenges first and the defendants thereafter. The qualifications of a juror on the panel from which peremptory challenges by the defense are made shall not constitute a ground for the granting of a motion for new trial or the reversal of a conviction or sentence unless such juror served upon the jury at the defendant’s trial and participated in the verdict rendered against the defendant.
5. If the defendant pleads guilty to a lesser or included offense other than the offense charged in the information or indictment in return for a specific lesser sentence than such defendant would likely have received if such defendant were found guilty of the crime charged, or makes any other plea bargaining arrangement, at any time after the jury is impaneled such defendant shall be liable to the county for the costs associated with impaneling the jury.