The Government’s Proposed Voir Dire Questions — No. 23 CR 97 (Dkt. 133, N.D. Ill.)
Summary
The government's proposed voir dire questions in United States v. Te Dora Brown, No. 23 CR 97, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois before the Honorable Elaine E. Bucklo, filed May 6, 2026 as Document 133 by the U.S. Attorney's office. The questions, offered in addition to the court's general voir dire, tell jurors that the case involves an investigation by the United States Secret Service and the Small Business Administration and that Brown is charged with wire fraud and has pleaded not guilty, and ask whether dealings with those agencies or the nature of the charges would affect their verdict. Others cover arrests or crimes involving jurors, family or friends, work in the criminal justice system, following the court's instructions on the law, podcast and television habits, and prior jury service.
Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used
Full text
Case: 1:23-cr-00097 Document #: 133 Filed: 05/06/26 Page 1 of 4 PageID #:542
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
EASTERN DIVISION
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
No. 23 CR 97
v.
Honorable Elaine E. Bucklo
TE DORA BROWN
THE GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSED VOIR DIRE QUESTIONS
The United States of America, through its attorney, ANDREW S. BOUTROS,
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, respectfully proposes the
Court ask the following questions to all potential jurors, in addition to the Court’s set
of general voir dire questions:
1. Do you have any problem with your hearing, vision, or health that would
make it difficult for you to serve as a juror?
2. Do you have difficulty reading, speaking, or understanding English?
3. Do you hold any religious, philosophical, moral, or other beliefs that
would prevent you from returning a verdict in this case?
4. This case involves an investigation by the United States Secret Service
and the United States Small Business Administration. Have you, a family member,
or a close friend had any experiences or dealings with the United States Secret
Service, the United States Small Business Administration, the federal government,
or any law enforcement entity that might affect your ability to evaluate the evidence,
to deliberate with the jury, or to return a verdict in this case?
1
Case: 1:23-cr-00097 Document #: 133 Filed: 05/06/26 Page 2 of 4 PageID #:543
5. Have you, a family member, or a close friend ever been arrested for,
charged with, or convicted of any criminal offense other than a minor traffic violation?
If yes, please indicate the nature of the offense; the law enforcement organization
responsible for the arrest; the prosecutor’s office responsible for pursuing the charges;
what happened in the case; and whether anything about that experience might affect
your ability to evaluate the evidence, to deliberate with the jury, or to return a verdict
in this case.
6. Have you, a member of your family, or a close friend, ever been the
victim of a crime? If so, please indicate the victim’s relationship to you; the nature of
the offense; whether charges were brought against the offender; the disposition of
those charges; and whether anything about that experience might affect your ability
to evaluate the evidence, to deliberate with the jury, or to return a verdict in this
case.
7. Have you ever worked in the criminal justice system? If yes, please
explain the circumstances.
8. Do you have any close friends or relatives who are prosecutors or
criminal defense attorneys? Is there anything about your relationships with them
that would prevent you from evaluating the evidence, deliberating with the jury, or
returning a verdict in this case?
9. Defendant in this case is charged with wire fraud. She has pleaded not
guilty to these charges. Is there anything about the nature of these charges that
2
Case: 1:23-cr-00097 Document #: 133 Filed: 05/06/26 Page 3 of 4 PageID #:544
might affect your ability to evaluate the evidence, to deliberate with the jury, or to
return a verdict in this case?
10. At various times during the case, the Court will instruct you about the
applicable law. It is your obligation to follow the Court's instructions about the law,
whether you agree with the law or not. If you were to find that you disagreed with
the law as given to you by the Court, would you still be able to follow that law and
reach a verdict by applying that law to the evidence in this case?
11. What podcasts and/or radio programs you listen to regularly?
12. What television shows do you watch regularly?
13. Are there any other facts or circumstances that you believe the Court or
the parties should know about concerning your ability to serve as a juror in this case?
3
Case: 1:23-cr-00097 Document #: 133 Filed: 05/06/26 Page 4 of 4 PageID #:545
To the Court’s general voir dire question regarding prior jury service, the
government proposes the following additions:
14. If you have previously served on a jury, please let us know the following:
(a) whether the case was in federal court or state court; (b) whether it was a criminal
case or civil case; (c) without disclosing to us what the verdict was, whether the jury
was able to reach a verdict in the case; (d) whether you were the foreperson; and
(e) whether your experience being on a jury left you with an impression of the legal
system, judges, or attorneys—positive or negative—that might affect your ability to
evaluate the evidence, to deliberate with the jury, or to return a verdict in this case.
Respectfully submitted,
ANDREW S. BOUTROS
United States Attorney
By: /s/ Mary Katherine McClelland
MARY KATHERINE McCLELLAND
QUINN FORD
Assistant United States Attorneys
219 South Dearborn Street, 5th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60604
(312) 353-5300
Dated: May 6, 2026
4
File and source
- File
- gov.uscourts.ilnd.430447.133.0.pdf
- Size
- 115,607 bytes
- SHA-256
- b6c2a0dd99280aeb3a6447587d4d55aac9256e8203e0a67c5748c696e3f1054a
- Original
- archive.org