blue-ribbon jury
n.1. A jury whose members have been selected for their special qualifications, such as greater education or knowledge in a particular field relevant to the case. Also called blue-ribbon panel.
2. A jury that may violate the constitutional right to a jury of one's peers by virtue of having been chosen in a manner tending to predispose the conviction of the defendant.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
blue-ribbon jury
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
blue′-rib`bon ju′ry
n. a jury of persons selected for high educational level or other qualifications, formerly used to try cases of unusual complexity or importance.
[1935–40, Amer.]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.