(a) A person shall be disqualified to serve as a juror if such person is found by the judicial authority to exhibit any quality which will impair this person’s capacity to serve as a juror, except that no person shall be disqualified on the basis of deafness or being hard of hearing.
Section 16-4.Disqualification of Jurors and Selection of Panel
Current through August 12, 2025 (2026 Practice Book edition) · Last verified July 9, 2026
In one sentenceRule 16-4 lets a judicial authority disqualify a prospective juror whose qualities would impair jury service, protects deaf and hard-of-hearing jurors from disqualification on that basis alone, and directs the clerk to select the trial panel by lot when more jurors appear than are needed.
Full Text of Section 16-4
(b) The clerks shall keep a list of all persons disqualified under this section and shall send a copy of that list to the jury administrator at such time as the jury administrator may direct.
(c) The clerk of the court, in impaneling the jury for the trial of each cause, shall, when more jurors are in attendance than are required of the panel, designate by lot those who shall compose the panel.
Amendment History
(P.B. 1978-1997, Sec. 303, 304.) (Amended June 13, 2019, to take effect Jan. 1, 2020.)
Plain-English Summary
Subsection (a) allows a judicial authority to disqualify someone from serving as a juror if that person has a quality that would impair the capacity to serve. The rule carves out one express exception: no one may be disqualified because of deafness or being hard of hearing. Subsection (b) requires the clerks to keep a list of everyone disqualified under this section and to send a copy to the jury administrator whenever the jury administrator directs.
Subsection (c) governs how the trial panel gets assembled. When impaneling a jury for a case, if more prospective jurors show up than the panel requires, the clerk designates by lot which of them will compose the panel — a random draw among the jurors present rather than a selection based on individual characteristics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a deaf juror be disqualified under Rule 16-4?
No. The rule states expressly that no person may be disqualified on the basis of deafness or being hard of hearing.
Who decides whether a prospective juror is disqualified?
The judicial authority makes that determination, based on whether the person exhibits a quality that would impair the capacity to serve as a juror.
How is the trial panel chosen when there are more jurors than needed?
The clerk of the court designates by lot — a random draw — which of the available jurors will compose the panel for that trial.
What happens to the list of disqualified jurors?
The clerks keep the list and send a copy to the jury administrator at whatever time the jury administrator directs.
Source & verification. The section text is reproduced verbatim from the
official Connecticut Practice Book (Conn. Practice Book § 16-4). Prescribed by the Judges of the Superior Court of Connecticut (Conn. Gen. Stat. Section 51-14). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 9, 2026. ·
Official source
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