Bobby Lee Cook and Michael A. Sullivan

In the following viewpoint, Bobby Lee Cook and Michael A. Sullivan maintain that peremptory challenges should not be eliminated. They argue that these challenges, which enable lawyers to prevent potential jurors from serving on a trial, have a long and well-established history. According to the authors, it is unlikely that the most biased people could be kept from jury service if such challenges are eliminated. They assert that peremptory challenges ensure that the jurors who are seated will judge a case based on evidence instead of personal biases and guarantee that trials remain fair in both appearance and fact. Cook is a criminal defense attorney, and Sullivan is a trial lawyer.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In what year did Roman law permit peremptory challenges, as stated by the authors?
2. Why...