01 July 2009

Additional Resources

Books, articles and Web sites concerned with U.S. juries and justice

This article appears in the July 2009 issue of eJournal USA, “Anatomy of a Jury Trial.”

Books and Articles

Abramson, Jeffrey. We, the Jury: The Jury System and the Ideal of Democracy. New York, NY: Basic Books, 1994.

Aitken, Robert. Law Makers, Law Breakers and Uncommon Trials. Chicago, IL: American Bar Association, 2008.

Asimow, Michael. “12 Angry Men: A Revisionist View.” Chicago Kent Law Review, vol. 82, no. 2 (2007):  pp. 711-726.

http://lawreview.kentlaw.edu/articles/82-2/Asimow%20Author%20Approved%20Edits(H)(P).pdf

Burnett, D. Graham.  A Trial by Jury. New York, NY: Knopf, 2001.

Burns, Robert. The Death of the American Trial. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2009.

Digital Evidence in the Courtroom: A Guide for Law Enforcement and Prosecutors. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, 2007.

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/211314.pdf

Ferguson, Robert A. The Trial in American Life. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2007.

Hans, Valerie P. Business on Trial: The Civil Jury and Corporate Responsibility. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2000.

Mize, Gregory E., and Paula Hannaford-Agor. “Building a Better Voir Dire Process.” The Judges’ Journal, vol. 47, no.  1 (Winter 2008).

http://www.ncsconline.org/d_research/cjs/BuildgBetterVoirDire_000.pdf

Ostrom, Brian J. The Mosaic of Institutional Culture and Performance: Trial Courts as Organizations. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, 2005.

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/212083.pdf

Read, D. Shane. Winning at Trial. Louisville, CO: National Institute for Trial Advocacy, 2007.

Sandler, Paul Mark. Anatomy of a Trial: A Primer for Young Lawyers. Baltimore, MD: MICPEL, 2008.

Shdaimah, Corey S.  Negotiating Justice: Progressive Lawyering, Low-Income Clients, and the Quest for Social Change. New York, NY: New York University Press, 2009.

Shelton, Donald E. “ ‘CSI Effect’: Does It Really Exist?” NIJ Journal, issue 259 (March 2008): pp. 1-6.

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/221501.pdf

Strebeigh, Fred. Equal: Women Reshape American Law. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Co., 2009.

Sundby, Scott E. A Life and Death Decision: A Jury Weighs the Death Penalty. New York, NY: Palgrave MacMillan, 2005.

Verrone, Patric M. “The 12 Best Trial Movies.” ABA Journal (November 1989).

http://www.supremecourt.ne.gov/students-teachers/movies.shtml

Vidmar, Neil, and Valerie P. Hans. American Juries: The Verdict. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2007.

 

Web Sites

American Association for Justice

International coalition of legal professionals working to ensure that victims of negligence can obtain courtroom justice.

www.justice.org

American Bar Association

The national organization representing the legal profession.

www.abanet.org

American Judicature Society

Nonpartisan organization of judges and attorneys seeking to improve the justice system.

www.ajs.org

American Tort Reform Association

National organization dedicated to reforming the civil justice system.

www.atra.org

Brennan Center for Justice

Public policy and law institute focusing on fundamental issues of democracy and justice.

www.brennancenter.org

Center for Jury Studies

Features research papers on topics related to juries and jury trials. Topics include hung juries, juror stress, and jury trial innovations. From the National Center for State Courts (NCSC).

http://www.ncsconline.org/Juries/

Famous Trials

Accounts, maps, photos, transcript excerpts, and other materials about trials of the past.

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/ftrials.htm

Justice at Stake Campaign

Works for reforms to ensure that politics and special interests do not influence the courtroom.

www.justiceatstake.org

National Center for State Courts

Seeks to improve the administration of justice through leadership and service to state courts.

www.ncsconline.org

The Plea

Accompanies a PBS Frontline television documentary on plea bargaining in criminal court cases.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/plea/

Real Justice

Accompanies a PBS Frontline television documentary on the experiences of real prosecutors and defense attorneys.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/bostonda/

U.S. Courts Library

A clearinghouse for information from and about the judicial branch of the U.S. government.

http://www.uscourts.gov/library.html

 

For Students

Anatomy of a Murder: A Trip Through Our Nation's Legal Justice System 

Lessons about the U.S. justice system by following a murder case from the discovery of the body through the trial of the accused, including topics such as search and seizure, right to an attorney, self-incrimination, and the death penalty.

http://library.thinkquest.org/2760/

The Case of Stolen Identity

A graphic novel from the National Center for State Courts to help readers understand how courts preserve a democratic system.

http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Comm/Images/justice_case_files_02_preview.pdf

Inside the Courtroom: United States Attorneys Kids Page

An introduction to the workings of U.S. courtrooms, including a description of federal prosecutors and U.S. attorneys, an illustrated guide to a courtroom and its participants, and a glossary.  

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/kidspage/

Our Courts: 21st-Century Civics

Civic games, lesson plans, resource links, civics-in-action projects, and more. Sponsored by retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Georgetown University, and Arizona State University.

http://ourcourts.org/

Washington Courts: Educational Resources

Online educational resources from the Washington State courts, including lesson plans and video lessons for grades K-12. Also provides guides to the court system, court terminology, and jury duty, and resources on judicial education and mock trials.

http://www.courts.wa.gov/education/

The U.S. Department of State assumes no responsibility for the content and availability of the resources listed above. All Internet links were active as of July 2009.