peremptory challenge

American  

[puh-remp-tuh-ree chal-inj] / pəˈrɛmp tə ri ˈtʃæl ɪndʒ /

noun

Law.

1. a formal objection to the service of a juror by a party to a criminal prosecution or a civil action that requires no showing of cause.

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Etymology

Origin of peremptory challenge

First recorded in 1520–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

peremptory challenge

If one side likes a potential juror, then 9 times out of 10 the other side will exercise a peremptory challenge to make sure that this person does not make it onto the jury.

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2024

He also said that there was “nothing here … that would any way bias me,” but he was eventually struck by the prosecution with a peremptory challenge.

From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2024

Most often the practice occurs through a legal tactic called a peremptory challenge, which allows an attorney to strike a potential juror without having to state a reason.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 18, 2021

The Washington Supreme Court did so in 2018, saying judges don’t have to find purposeful discrimination to deny a peremptory challenge, and that challenges based on “implicit, institutional, and unconscious biases” can be rejected.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 5, 2021

We must sometimes allow to personal temperament its right of peremptory challenge.

From Among My Books First Series by James Russell Lowell