Legal Definitions - propter defectum

Definition: Propter defectum is a type of challenge in which a potential juror is claimed to be incompetent to serve on any jury due to a reason such as alienage, infancy, or nonresidency.

Example: During jury selection, the defense attorney made a propter defectum challenge against a potential juror who was not a resident of the state, claiming that they were not qualified to serve on any jury.

Explanation: In this example, the defense attorney is using a propter defectum challenge to argue that the potential juror is not qualified to serve on any jury due to their nonresidency. This type of challenge is based on a claim that the juror is incompetent to serve on any jury for a specific reason, and is different from other types of challenges that may be made during jury selection.