(a) In any civil action to be tried to the jury in the Superior Court, if it appears to the court that the trial is likely to be protracted, the court may, in its discretion, direct that, after a jury has been selected, two or more additional jurors shall be added to the jury panel, to be known as “alternate jurors”. Alternate jurors shall have the same qualifications and be selected and subject to examination and challenge in the same manner and to the same extent as the jurors constituting the regular panel. In any case when the court directs the selection of alternate jurors, each party may peremptorily challenge four jurors. Where the court determines a unity of interest exists, several plaintiffs or several defendants may be considered as a single party for the purpose of making challenges, or the court may allow additional peremptory challenges and permit them to be exercised separately or jointly. For the purposes of this subsection, a “unity of interest” means that the interests of the several plaintiffs or of the several defendants are substantially similar. A unity of interest shall be found to exist among parties who are represented by the same attorney or law firm. In addition, there shall be a presumption that a unity of interest exists among parties where no cross claims or apportionment complaints have been filed against one another. In all civil actions, the total number of peremptory challenges allowed to the plaintiff or plaintiffs shall not exceed twice the number of peremptory challenges allowed to the defendant or defendants, and the total number of peremptory challenges allowed to the defendant or defendants shall not exceed twice the number of peremptory challenges allowed to the plaintiff or plaintiffs.

Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 51-243

  • another: may extend and be applied to communities, companies, corporations, public or private, limited liability companies, societies and associations. See Connecticut General Statutes 1-1
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Juror: A person who is on the jury.
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.

(b) Alternate jurors shall be sworn separately from those constituting the regular panel, and the oaths to be administered shall be as provided in § 1-25.

(c) Alternate jurors shall attend at all times upon trial of the action. They shall be seated when the case is on trial with or near the jurors constituting the regular panel, with equal opportunity to see and hear all matters adduced in the trial.

(d) If, at any time, any juror shall, for any reason, become unable to further perform his or her duty, the court may excuse such juror. If any juror is so excused or dies, the court may order that an alternate juror who is designated by lot to be drawn by the clerk, shall become a part of the regular panel and the trial shall then proceed as though the alternate juror had been a member of the regular panel from the time when the trial was begun. If a juror becomes a member of the regular panel after deliberations have begun, the jury shall be instructed by the court that deliberations by the jury shall begin anew.

(e) A juror selected to serve as an alternate shall not be segregated from the regular panel except when the case is given to the regular panel for deliberation at which time such alternate juror shall be dismissed from further service on the case or may remain in service under the direction of the court.