Attorney Publication

09/06/2024

Lynn Kappelman, Sara Sweeney, and Alex Reganata Write on Impact of Ross v Dietrich in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

Click for PDF

Seyfarth’s Lynn Kappelman, Sara Sweeney, and Alex Reganata co-authored an article, “Reading between the lines: decision offers insight into how to craft voir dire questions,” in Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly on September 6. The Seyfarth attorneys discussed how in Ross, et al. v. Dietrich, the Appeals Court clarified that trial judges in Massachusetts retain broad discretion over how lawyers can conduct voir dire and that judges are free to place limits on the specific questions they can ask.

“In Massachusetts, trial judges will balance the desire for attorneys to conduct jury voir dire with the judge’s own mandate to ensure that such questions do not seek to influence, indoctrinate, misinform, or confuse the jury.”

The full article is available here.