Legal Definitions - empanel

Definition: To swear in a group of people (called a jury) who will decide on a legal case.

Example: The judge empaneled a jury of twelve people to hear the evidence and decide if the defendant was guilty or not.

Explanation: When a case goes to trial, a group of people called a jury is selected to hear the evidence and decide on the outcome. The process of selecting and swearing in this jury is called empaneling. The example shows how the judge empaneled a group of twelve people to serve as the jury for the case.