Jury
The jury system is a cornerstone of our democracy and is designed to ensure fair trials by impartial and independent judges and jurors. Jurors take an oath to decide the case only upon the law and the evidence. The law is what the judge states to be the law; the evidence is what the witnesses testify to and the exhibits that are admitted in evidence. In order for the juror to be able to make an informed decision, the lawyer must present the evidence in a logical and comprehensible way and must link up the pieces of evidence together. The attorneys then give their closing arguments and this helps the jurors recall testimony that may have slipped their memory, to fit together the various facts of the case and to connect them with the evidence.
After voir dire the jury panel has been sorted out and the attorneys have tried to eliminate people who are either too much like themselves or who they believe will be unable to be fair. The deciding factor in determining who to strike is not so much the extreme opinions of the artsy-hippie or the talkative retail clerk as it is their ability to influence others. The outgoing soccer mom probably has a lot of leadership potential and will rise to the top of the list when it comes time to name strikes.
It is also possible for the parties to request that a person be excused from service on a jury for cause. These requests are called challenges and there is no limit to the number that can be made.