panel
Panel is commonly used in reference with (1) jurors and (2) judges .
A jury panel refers to the group of people selected as potential jurors and from which the jury for a specific case will be chosen. This panel is commonly called jury pool or venire . The general process for selecting a jury panel in federal district courts is discussed in Section 1866 of the Judiciary and Judicial Procedure of the United States Code . The statute directs the jury commission or the clerk to periodically select the jury panel at random from the pool of jurors . It further directs the jury commission or the clerk to post a general notice for the public in the clerk’s office or on the court’s website explaining the jury panel selection process. Additionally, the statute states that for each jury panel , the jury commission or the clerk is to prepare a list containing every person’s name. State statutes may prescribe how state courts select their jury panel . In general, as discussed by the Utah Supreme Court in Meyers v. Second Judicial Dist. Court , statutory provisions designed to combat unfair influences are mandatory while provisions that concern the manner of selection are directory.
A judicial panel is a group of judges selected from all the judges of a particular court . Usually, this panel refers to the three-judge panel that constitutes a federal appellate court in accordance with Section 46 of the Judiciary and Judicial Procedure of the United States Code . Judicial panels are not limited to federal appellate courts . For example, under certain circumstances designated in Section 2284 of the Judiciary and Judicial Procedure of the United States Code , such as when required by Congress , federal district courts can consist of a three-judge panel instead of an individual judge . Another judicial panel is the three-judge bankruptcy appellate panel, which is created by Section 158 of the Judiciary and Judicial Procedure of the United States Code .
Some other uses of “panel” in a legal sense include:
- In domestic arbitrations , “arbitral panel” refers to the group of three arbitrators appointed to resolve the parties’ dispute . In international arbitrations , this group of three arbitrators is called an arbitral tribunal.
- “Panel-shopping” is the practice of selecting the most favorable group of appellate judges to hear an appeal .
- “Panel attorney” is a private attorney , versus a government attorney or an attorney with a nonprofit legal service provider, who the court appoints and compensates to represent an indigent defendant . Panel attorneys belong to a panel of private attorneys who have been approved by the court to have defense expertise.
[Last reviewed in August of 2020 by the Wex Definitions Team ]
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