NOVEMBER 2025 | 13 THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL Statements or opinions expressed in the Oklahoma Bar Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff. compensation retaliatory discharge case in Carter County. This was back when these cases were tried in district court. The judge had questioned the jury thoroughly about prior comp claims and employment terminations they had experienced. No one spoke up. The plaintiff’s counsel and I had gone deeper on those same issues. Not a hand was raised. I was about to sit down after conducting my voir dire when I had a Columbo moment and asked the question slightly differently: Did anyone feel that they had ever been treated unfairly in the workplace for any reason? One juror, who had been through the entire process, raised his hand. “I felt like I was fired once ‘cause I had an injury on the job.” Duh! The judge and two lawyers thought they’d asked that question numerous times before, but this was the first time the juror really heard it. Needless to say, he was stricken from the jury. CHALLENGES One of the most important lessons I learned about jury selection came from Mr. Younger:1 You don’t pick a jury. You unpick a jury. You should not focus on how
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTk3MQ==