(a) Examination of Jurors. Any person called as a juror for the trial of any cause shall be examined under oath or upon affirmation as to his qualifications. The court may permit the parties or their attorneys to conduct the examination of the prospective jurors or may itself conduct the examination. In the latter event, the court shall permit the parties of their attorneys to supplement the examination by further inquiry.
Rule 47.Jurors
Chapter VI: Trials · Last amended June 24, 1992 · Last verified July 14, 2026
In one sentenceRule 47 covers how prospective jurors are questioned and challenged in a Mississippi civil trial — voir dire under oath, four peremptory challenges per side in a twelve-person jury, two per side in a six-person county court jury, and the mechanics for seating one or two alternates.
Full Text of Rule 47
(b) Selection of Jurors; Jury Service. Jurors shall be drawn and selected for jury service as provided by statute.
(c) Challenges. In actions tried before a 12-person jury, each side may exercise four peremptory challenges. In actions tried before a 6-person jury, each side may exercise two peremptory challenges. Where one or both sides are composed of muliple parties, the court may allow challenges to be exercised separately or jointly, and may allow additional challenges; provided, however, in all actions the number of challenges allowed for each side shall be identical. Parties may challenge any juror for cause.
(d) Alternate Jurors. The trial judge may, in his discretion, direct that one or two jurors in addition to the regular panel be called and empaneled to sit as alternate jurors. Alternate jurors, in the order in which they are called, shall replace jurors who, prior to the time the jury retires to consider its verdict, become unable or disqualified to perform their duties. Alternate jurors shall be drawn in the same manner, shall have the same qualifications, shall be subject to the same examination and challenges for cause, shall take the same oath and shall have the same functions, powers, facilities, and privileges as the regular jurors. Each party shall be allowed one peremptory challenge to alternate jurors in addition to those provided by subdivision (c) of this rule. The additional peremptory challenges provided for herein may be used against an alternate juror only, and other peremptory challenges, provided by subdivision (c) of this rule, may not be used against an alternate juror.
Advisory Committee Notes
Rule 47(c) provides that each side may exercise peremptory challenges to prospective jurors. Under the liberal provisions of these rules for joinder of claims and parties, problems may arise where there are multiple parties comprising a side. In such cases, it is implicit that the court may apportion the challenges among the parties comprising that side when they cannot agree on the apportionment themselves. For additional guidelines concerning the method by which peremptory challenges shall be exercised, see the Uniform Rules of Circuit and County Court Practice.
Amendment History
Effective June 24, 1992, Rule 47 was amended to provide that the court may allocate peremptory challenges to a side, rather than to a party, and, in the case of multiple parties on a side, may allow them to be exercised jointly or separately, and may allow additional peremptory challenges. 598-602 So. 2d XXIII (West Miss. Cas. 1992).
Plain-English Summary
Rule 47(a) requires every prospective juror to be examined under oath or affirmation about qualifications to serve. The court can conduct that examination itself, or let the parties and their attorneys handle it, but if the court does the questioning, it still has to let the parties supplement it with further inquiry of their own. Rule 47(b) defers to statute for how jurors are drawn and selected for service in the first place.
Rule 47(c) sets the peremptory challenge allotment: four per side in cases tried before a twelve-person jury, two per side in cases tried before a six-person jury, which is the jury size used in county court under Rule 48(b). When one or both sides consist of multiple parties, the court has discretion to let them exercise challenges separately or jointly and to allow additional challenges, but whatever the court decides, both sides must end up with the same total number of challenges. Challenges for cause are unlimited and separate from this peremptory count.
Rule 47(d) lets the trial judge, at his or her discretion, seat one or two alternate jurors alongside the regular panel. Alternates are drawn, qualified, examined, sworn, and empowered the same way as regular jurors, and they step in — in the order they were called — for any regular juror who becomes unable or disqualified to serve before the jury retires to deliberate. Each party gets one additional peremptory challenge that can be used only against an alternate juror; the regular peremptory challenges under Rule 47(c) cannot be used against an alternate, and this extra alternate challenge cannot be used against anyone else.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many peremptory challenges do I get in a Mississippi civil jury trial?
Rule 47(c) allows four peremptory challenges per side in a case tried before a twelve-person jury, and two per side in a case tried before a six-person jury.
Who questions prospective jurors — the judge or the lawyers?
Either. Rule 47(a) lets the court conduct the examination itself or permit the parties or their attorneys to do it. If the court conducts it, the parties still get to supplement it with further questions of their own.
If there are several plaintiffs or several defendants, do the challenges multiply?
Not automatically. Rule 47(c) gives the court discretion to let a multi-party side exercise its challenges separately or jointly and to allow additional challenges, but the rule requires that both sides always end up with the same total number of challenges.
Can I still challenge a juror for cause after using all my peremptory challenges?
Yes. Rule 47(c) allows challenges for cause without limit, separate from the fixed number of peremptory challenges each side gets.
How do alternate jurors work under Rule 47?
The trial judge may, at his or her discretion, seat one or two alternates, chosen and sworn the same way as regular jurors. They replace a regular juror who becomes unable or disqualified to serve before deliberations begin, and each party gets one additional peremptory challenge usable only against an alternate, separate from the regular challenges under Rule 47(c).
Source & verification. Rule text and Advisory Committee Notes are
reproduced verbatim from the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Mississippi. Last verified July 14, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: ms peremptory challenges civil juryvoir dire mississippi civil rule 47alternate jurors mississippi civil trialsix person jury challenges mississippi county courtjury selection mississippi civil case