A jury panel consisting of sixteen jurors will be drawn randomly from a jury pool. The judge and the parties then have the opportunity to ask the prospective jurors questions. From that panel, each party will strike or remove four jurors, leaving an eight-person jury. Each party has the opportunity to give an opening statement , which is an overview of the evidence that is expected to be presented. The opening statements are followed by the presentation of evidence.
Parties generally present evidence by calling witnesses and asking questions.
Each party must abide by the Iowa Rules of Evidence in doing so. These rules govern what evidence is admissible at trial, and how it is presented. If a party believes the other party is not following the rules, that party may raise an objection. The judge will then either sustain or overrule the objection. During a bench trial, the judge may reserve ruling on the objection.