Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_12-cv-03743/USCOURTS-cand-3_12-cv-03743-23/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 442
Nature of Suit: Civil Rights Employment
Cause of Action: 28:1332 Diversity-Employment Discrimination

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

JULIE SU,

Plaintiff,

v.

SIEMENS INDUSTRY, INC.,

Defendant.

Case No. 12-cv-03743-JST 

ORDER DENYING REQUEST FOR 

WRITTEN JURY QUESTIONNAIRE

Re: Dkt. No. 113

Jury selection in this case is scheduled to begin on August 17, 2015. The parties have 

jointly requested that the Court use a written questionnaire as part of jury selection, in addition to 

oral voir dire. ECF No. 113. 

The Court has wide discretion to determine the appropriate method of selecting a jury in an 

individual case. Written juror questionnaires are particularly useful where “lengthy voir dire may 

be necessary, many prospective jurors are likely to be ineligible, an anonymous jury procedure is 

used, questions regarding extensive pretrial publicity carry a serious risk of prejudicing potential 

jurors, or the case directly implicates sensitive, personal, moral or religious issues.” United States 

v. Jackson, 863 F. Supp. 1449, 1459 (D. Kan. 1994). On the other hand, a written questionnaire is 

not essential in all cases. Where few or none of the foregoing considerations are present, the 

Court may reasonably conclude that the additional time and expense associated with a 

questionnaire outweigh the benefits to the parties, counsel, and the Court. “The variety of options 

available to the District Judge to identify actual prejudice provides sufficient assurance to the 

Court that a written jury questionnaire, although a potentially helpful guide, is not a necessary tool 

to ensure an impartial jury.” United States v. Kaplan, No. 2:13-CR-00377-GMN, 2014 WL 

3366442, at *8 (D. Nev. July 8, 2014). 

Case 3:12-cv-03743-JST Document 187 Filed 07/27/15 Page 1 of 2
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United States District Court

Northern District of California

In this case, in which it seems likely that the trial can be concluded in two weeks of jury 

time and the jury can be selected in one day, and in which the issues involved are neither complex 

nor particularly sensitive, the Court concludes that a questionnaire is unnecessary. Accordingly, 

oral voir dire will proceed on August 17 according to the guidelines set forth at the pretrial 

conference conducted on July 10. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: July 27, 2015

______________________________________

JON S. TIGAR

United States District Judge

Case 3:12-cv-03743-JST Document 187 Filed 07/27/15 Page 2 of 2