Lawyers Can’t Call Jurors ‘Yahoos’ in East Texas Patent Trial

Don’t call jurors in East Texas “yahoos.”

Or refer to patent plaintiffs as “pirates,” “bandits,” or “trolls.”

Those phrases are among a growing list of words banned by federal judges, who over the years have aimed to keep derogatory and potentially inflammatory and prejudicial phrases from the ears of jurors in patent cases.

Most recently, US District Court Judge Rodney Gilstrap prohibited the use of “yahoos” and “fake news” in a patent-infringement case pitting garage-door opener makers against each other.

Before the trial began this week, Gilstrap granted a motion barring any reference “to the jurors, court, or citizens constituting ...