(a) Examination of Jurors.
(1) The court shall permit the parties or their attorneys to conduct the examination of prospective jurors under its supervision. The court may supplement the examination by such further inquiry as it deems proper.
(2) Challenges for cause must be tried by the court. The juror challenged and any other person may be examined as a witness on the trial of the challenge.
(b) Manner of Selection and Order of Examination of Jurors.
(1) Order of Examination. From the entire jury panel, an initial panel of 20 jurors shall be called in the first instance, and before any voir dire examination of the jury shall be had. Examination of all jurors in the initial panel shall be completed by the plaintiff before examination by the defendant. If challenges for cause are allowed, an additional juror shall be called from the entire panel immediately upon the allowance of challenge, and the juror called to replace the juror excused for cause shall take the number of the juror who has been excused, to provide a full initial panel of 20 jurors, whose examination shall be completed before any peremptory challenges are made.
(2) Peremptory Challenges.
(A) When the voir dire examination has been completed, each side shall have four peremptory challenges, and they shall be exercised by the plaintiff first striking one, the defendant then striking one, and so on, until each side has exhausted or waived its right.
(B) In the event one or more alternate jurors are called, the next jurors remaining in the initial panel, if any, shall be called by the clerk to be the alternate jurors.
(C) In the event all jurors remaining of the original initial panel of 20 jurors, including those substituted for those jurors excused for cause, have been subjected to peremptory challenge, then the clerk shall call additional jurors from the remainder of the jury panel to provide alternate jurors who will be subject to challenge as provided by law.
(D) In the event there is more than one party defendant, and should it appear that each defendant is entitled to peremptory challenges, then the original panel shall be increased to provide four additional jurors for each defendant who is entitled to exercise peremptory challenges.
(E) The clerk shall keep a record of the order in which jurors are called, and in the event the entire initial panel has not been exhausted by challenges, the court shall excuse sufficient of the last-called jurors until a jury of 12 persons and the determined number of alternates shall remain to make up the trial jury.
(c) Alternate Jurors. The court may direct that one or two jurors in addition to the regular panel be called and impaneled to sit as alternate jurors.
(1) Alternate jurors in the order in which they are called shall replace jurors who, prior to the time the jury arrives at its verdict, become unable or disqualified to perform their duties.
(2) An alternate juror shall not join the jury in its deliberation unless called upon by the court to replace a member of the jury.
(3) The alternate juror’s conduct during the period in which the jury is considering its verdict shall be regulated by instructions of the trial court.
(4) Alternate jurors shall be drawn in the same manner, shall have the same qualifications, shall be subject to the same examination and challenges, shall take the same oath, and shall have the same functions, powers, facilities, and privileges as the principal jurors.
(5) An alternate juror who does not replace a principal juror shall be discharged after the jury arrives at its verdict.
(6) If one or two alternate jurors are called, each party is entitled to one peremptory challenge in addition to those otherwise allowed by subdivision (b) of this rule.
(7) The additional peremptory challenge may be used only against an alternate juror, and other peremptory challenges allowed by law shall not be used against the alternates.
Rule 47 controls how a Montana civil jury is chosen, and its mechanics are detailed and state-specific. The parties or their attorneys conduct voir dire — the questioning of prospective jurors — under the court's supervision, and challenges for cause are tried to the court.
The selection method is precise: an initial panel of 20 jurors is called, the plaintiff completes its examination before the defendant, and a juror excused for cause is immediately replaced to keep the panel at 20. Each side then has four peremptory challenges, exercised by alternating strikes, with additional jurors and challenges when there are multiple defendants or alternate jurors. The trial jury is 12 persons (plus any alternates), and the rule sets out how one or two alternate jurors are selected, when they replace a principal juror, and the extra peremptory challenge that comes with them.