Strike for cause


Strike for cause is a method of eliminating potential members from a jury panel in the United States.
During the jury selection process, after voir dire, opposing attorneys may request removal of any juror who does not appear capable of rendering a fair and impartial verdict, in either determining guilt or innocence and/or a suitable punishment. An example would be a potential juror in a murder case, where the sentencing options include the death penalty and a lesser sentence, who states that s/he "would sentence a defendant to death if found guilty"; such a statement may indicate the person's unwillingness to fairly consider a life without parole sentence.
Unlike a peremptory challenge there is no limit to the number of strikes for cause that attorneys on either side of a case can be granted. However, also unlike a peremptory challenge, a strike for cause must state a specific reason and be granted by the trial judge; often both attorneys and sometimes the judge will question the juror being challenged.
If one attorney moves to strike a juror for cause but the judge rejects the motion, the attorney may still use a peremptory challenge to strike the juror, and on appeal may raise a claim that the motion should have been granted but, because it was not, the attorney had to either use a peremptory challenge or seat a biased juror.