Must Jurors Be Truthful During Jury Selection?

 The obvious answer is "of course!"  But this question shows up frequently in word searches in Google.  The entire British and American judicial system has been based for centuries on the paramount importance of TRUTH.  Truth means facts, such as "the semaphore was red when the driver sped through the intersection" or " the freezing point of water is 32 F."  So what are possible consequences of extensive and widely-reported WHOPPERS in the media about political campaigns' outright lies about their opponents?  Having no scientific surveys to support my opinion, I still opine that nothing good can come of this.  One major candidate has publicly said that telling stories that are untrue is acceptable if it serves his purposes.  The message to the average citizen is that lying is acceptable if it serves my purposes.  So if I want to lie when questioned during jury selection because I do not wish to serve because it is a financial burden on my family, then that's an acceptable reason. Really?  It's not!

The past few years a phrase that has become common: "that's my truth."  Rest assured that if you are being questioned during jury selection and you fail to answer truthfully about any of the following, and more, you could be charged with PERJURY, a felony, and be imprisoned, plus fined thousands of dollars if this causes a mistrial:  Do you,

know any of the witnesses who may be called to testify (list is read to the jury panel)

know anything about the facts of this case

know any of the parties or lawyers

have a criminal record at the felony or gross misdemeanor level

know anyone close to you, or have you, been the victim of a crime or sexual assault

have a conviction for DWI (if that is the charge)

have any important events coming up that could be interrupted by service (school exams, medical treatment, a trip planed for a long time, etc.)

have training in medicine (if at issue) or law enforcement training (criminal case)

If you doubt that falsely answering questions during jury selection could lead to serious consequences, here are past posts to take a look at:

2-2-18.    1-22-16.   10-30-15.    5-4-15.   4-28-14.   8-19-13.   8-29-12.   6-8-12.   3-15-12