Rule 227.Challenge to Juror
Last verified June 28, 2026
Full Text of Rule 227
Plain-English Summary
Rule 227 frames the two ways to strike an individual juror: a challenge for cause and a peremptory challenge. The court decides any such challenge without delay, and if it sustains the challenge, the juror is discharged from the case. Either kind may be made orally as the jury is formed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the two types of juror challenges in Texas?
A challenge for cause and a peremptory challenge. Under Rule 227, the court rules on either without delay, and a sustained challenge discharges that juror from the case.
Do juror challenges have to be written out in advance?
No. Rule 227 lets either a challenge for cause or a peremptory challenge be made orally as the jury is being formed, without any advance written submission.
What happens to a juror once a challenge against them is sustained?
The court discharges that juror from the case. Rule 227 requires the court to rule on the challenge without delay, and a sustained challenge removes only that juror, not the whole panel.