64. Breaking the Ice: Voir Dire Tips and Tactics, with Judge Cynthia McCollum

As a sitting district court judge and 29-year public defender, NITA Program Director Judge Cynthia McCollum knows a thing or two about jury selection, and in this episode, she opens up about how to get your jurors to open up. She serves up a baker’s dozen of her best tips for getting jurors to talk during voir dire, mistakes she learned from as a public defender, what to know about Batson challenges, and anecdotes about her career trajectory before and on the bench.

Topics
3:50  First tip for getting jurors to open up during voir dire
4:47  Second tip
5:45  Judge’s first time in court as a new lawyer 
9:48. Third tip
14:24  Fourth tip
18:33  Fifth tip
20:08  Being a public defender, then a judge
24:42  Sixth tip
26:39. Seventh tip
29:28  What it’s like to be a judge
31:48  Eighth tip
33:09  Ninth tip
38:25  Tenth tip
41:31  NITA involvement
45:06  Eleventh tip
48:35  Twelfth tip
50:32  Baker’s dozen tip about Batson
52:39  Signoff questions 

Quote
“Everyone needs to work on their jury selection. It’s not a natural for a lot of people, because you get nervous about asking those tough questions.” Judge Cynthia McCollum

Resources
Judge Cynthia McCollum (bio)
Batson bonuses (file)
Minnesota Deposition Skills and Trial Skills (programs)