I was sent a summons as a petit juror. What exactly is a petit juror?

Question: Ive never been asked to be a juror before or asked to sit on a jury. What exactly is a petit jury and what does it entail. Whats it like being on a jury?

Answer: A petit jury is the typical kind you see on courtroom dramas, which decides civil and criminal cases. A petit juror will be called in to hear a case. Usually, you will be given a survey to fill out, asking how you feel about certain issues. The attorneys on each side will then question each juror to decide if they want them on the jury. Each lawyer gets a certain number of automatic strikes, which means they can remove a juror for no apparent reason. They usually do this to get rid of jurors they think will not find in their favor. Don't worry--I've seen cases where the lawyers went through a room of 300 jurors without setting a 12 man jury (although that's extreme). A petit jury is distinguished from a grand jury, which is convened to investigate different cases, like misconduct by politicians.

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