SINCE 1828
peremptory challenge
nounDefinition of peremptory challenge
: a challenge (as of a juror) made as of right without assigning any cause
Examples of peremptory challenge in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
To wit: in the six trials, the State employed its peremptory challenges (that is, challenges for which no reason need be given) to strike forty-one out of forty-two African-American prospective jurors. — Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker, "Clarence Thomas’s Astonishing Opinion on a Racist Mississippi Prosecutor," 21 June 2019 Most trial courts allow lawyers to exercise a number of peremptory challenges during jury selection—that is, dismissing potential jurors without providing a reason. — Jess Bravin, WSJ, "Supreme Court Reaffirms Rule Against Racial Bias in Jury Selection," 21 June 2019 Prosecutors and defense attorneys also receive what are known as peremptory challenges. — oregonlive.com, "Supreme Court throws out conviction of man tried 6 times for murders," 21 June 2019 Prosecutors and defense attorneys also receive what are known as peremptory challenges. — Robert Barnes, Anchorage Daily News, "Supreme Court overturns Mississippi murder conviction in case that raised questions of racial bias," 21 June 2019 In that case, a prosecutor used his peremptory challenges to dismiss all four potential black jurors. — Ranjani Chakraborty, Vox, "How racism shapes jury selection," 12 Oct. 2018 The rule that peremptory challenges can’t be used to discriminate is well-established in judicial procedure. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Curtis Flowers was tried 6 times for the same crime. Now the Supreme Court will hear his case.," 6 Nov. 2018 Defence lawyers used peremptory challenges to dismiss five prospective jurors who appeared to be indigenous. — The Economist, "Indigenous rightsCanada’s Trayvon Martin moment," 17 Feb. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'peremptory challenge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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