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Anatomy of a Jury Trial

July 2009

July 2009

Juries — usually groups of 6 or 12 ordinary citizens — provide a crucial service for their fellow citizens: Just as in medieval England, where they got started, juries prevent government, even democratic government, from pursuing oppressive prosecutions.

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Inside This Publication

Volume 14, Number 7, ISSN 1948-4399 (online)

From the Editors

Feature Stories

  • American Juries

    Fred Graham, truTV Anchor
    The U.S. jury system derived from a British practice that aimed to protect subjects from tyranny by the king. It has evolved with changes in society and survived, still presenting a check on government.

  • Jury Service in the United States

  • A Juror’s Role

    D. Graham Burnett, Professor of History, Princeton University
    Proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to jurors can be a stiff test. While a chance exists that a guilty man or woman might go free after a jury trial, the jury system still beats any other system.

  • A Judge’s Role

    Ricardo M. Urbina, Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington
    A judge needs to make jurors understand they are like deputized judges sworn to fairness.

  • A Prosecutor’s Role

    Shane Read, Assistant U.S. Attorney
    The prosecutor aims not only to persuade the jurors of the government’s case that the defendant has committed a crime, but also to assure that no innocent person is wrongly convicted.

  • A Defense Lawyer’s Role

    Barry Pollack, Attorney, Miller Chevalier Law Firm
    For those defendants willing to take the risks of going to trial, an able defense lawyer can challenge even the extraordinary powers of the government.

Point-Counterpoint

  • Jury Trials: In Favor

    Neil Vidmar, Professor of Law, Duke University School of Law
    Jury trials not only give credibility within a community about verdicts reached in court cases, but also seem to turn jurors into better citizens.

  • Jury Trials: Opposed

    Peter J. van Koppen, Professor of Legal Psychology, Maastricht University Law School
    The jury trial system is so complicated and expensive that it forces most defendants to accept plea bargains. In the few cases that go to trial, jurors often consider technical issues beyond their aptitude.

Glossary

Map

Chart

More Feature Stories

  • Refining Jewels of Justice

    Gregory E. Mize, Judicial Fellow, National Center for State Courts
    Two organizations are promoting principles aimed at making juries more representative of their communities and changing the way trials are conducted to give jurors a better understanding of complex issues.

  • A Witness’s Role

    Maurice Possley, Journalist and Author
    The way a witness presents the facts of a case can influence the emotions of a jury.

  • Some Differences Among States

    Paula L. Hannaford-Agor, Director, Center for Jury Studies at the National Center for State Courts
    Significant differences exist in jury trial practices among the different state courts and between state and federal courts.

  • A Journalist’s Role

    Ted Gest, President, Criminal Justice Journalists
    Scrutiny by news reporters of jury trials gives the public added assurance that the judicial system is working fairly.

  • Law & Order Reflects Real Life

    An Interview With Richard Sweren, Writer and Producer, Law & Order
    Law & Order has attracted American TV fans for 19 years by reflecting the sometimes agonizing complexity of the criminal justice system in real life.

Resources