Why do we have jury duty

The judge determines the appropriate law that should be applied to the case and the jury finds the facts in the case based on what is presented to them during the proceedings.

At the end of a trial, the judge instructs the jury on the applicable law. Jury Pool to Jury Box Being summoned for jury service does not guarantee that a person will actually serve on a jury. Types of Cases Heard by Juries There are two types of judicial proceedings in the federal courts that use juries. At least six people make up a civil jury. The jury must come to a unanimous decision unless specified otherwise. Several Australian studies confirm our juries reflect a cross-section of our community in terms of cultural mix, age and gender balance.

Juries are more likely to be better educated than the ordinary member of the public. Jurors are forbidden from having any prior intimate knowledge of the trial, from privately communicating with anyone involved in the trial and from doing their own research. Maintaining the impartiality of jurors has become problematic in the digital age. Last century, courts used to successfully make orders to suppress potentially prejudicial information such as prior convictions.

Jurors are told by the judge not to look at any media reports on their case. But jurors on trials of high profile defendants may not be able to avoid the barrage of negative pre-trial publicity. US research suggests jurors who are exposed to negative publicity are significantly more likely to judge the defendant guilty compared to subjects exposed to less pre-trial publicity.

New South Wales, Queensland, the ACT, South Australia and Western Australia allow a defendant to apply for trial by judge without a jury when prejudicial publicity is perceived to be significant. But there is no research that confirms a judge sitting alone without a jury is any better at resisting prejudicial publicity.

Read more: Trial by judge alone may not be the answer to giving high-profile defendants a fair hearing. A typical jury trial will take fewer than ten days. The jurors hear the evidence, listen to the arguments of both parties and are provided with instructions on the relevant law by the judge.

No written reasons for the verdicts are required. The vast majority of juries are able to reach their verdict unanimously. In some types of cases, agreement of 11 out of 12 jurors is an acceptable verdict. Our court system strives for fairness to everyone who comes before it, and the core of this fairness is trial by jury.

In the Declaration of Independence , Thomas Jefferson listed the fact that the citizens of the Colonies had been deprived of the benefits of Trial by Jury as one of the injuries perpetrated by the King of Great Britain.

As citizens of this country, if we are accused of certain criminal acts, we have the right to trial by jury. By the same token, we have the responsibility to act when called upon to serve as a juror. Like the privilege of voting, jury duty is one significant way we can take part in the democratic process. The people of America rely upon jurors for the protection of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

As a juror, you will play an important role in the American system of justice. You do not need any special skills or legal knowledge to be a juror. Potential jurors are men and women of good judgment, honesty, and objectivity. The juror needs to keep an open mind and be willing to make decisions free of personal opinions and prejudices.

Your public service as a juror protects our Constitutional right to have a trial by an impartial jury. The protection of our rights and liberties is accomplished through the teamwork of judge and jury, who, working together in a mutual effort, put into practice the principles of our heritage of freedom.