Questions tagged [jury]
A panel of "peers" (often of 12) selected from the citizenry that acts as a "trier of fact" in a court case.
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Is the press allowed to make initial contact with jurors after a trial?
In the United States, jurors sometimes speak to the press after a trial, sometimes many years later. Does the press have a legal way to make initial contact with jurors directly, or indirectly such as ...
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How is a bench trial simpler, or less costly than a jury trial?
My understanding is that a bench trial is one in which there is no jury because the judge is allowed to be a finder of fact as well as a finder of law.
In a particular tort case, the facts are fairly ...
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Lower jury award if sue company and individual vs just company?
Do juries tend to award less damages if a Plaintiff sues an individual and his/her employer vs. just the employer? In other words should the potential sympathy a jury has for the individual influence ...
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USA, why the trial decision based completely on jury?
Watching the series about O.J. Simpson I was wondering “why in almost every case the decision based on jury?” and I personally think that this case is a good example to cast doubt of that legislation ...
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Impeachment jury tampering
The process of impeaching and removing a United States president is often compared to a criminal trial, with the House of Representatives acting to indict a suspect, and the Senate acting as jurors in ...
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How can Edward Snowden be denied a jury trial?
Is the US right to a trial by jury a conditional right which can be revoked preemptively?
It was my understanding the US Constitution allowed anyone accused of a crime to be judged by a peer jury. ...
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1answer
140 views
Is there a benefit to leaving out a poor defendant from a suit and only suing the rich defendant?
If the poor defendant is sued as well as the rich defendant, could the jury end up assigning too much of the award to the poor defendant? Is that a reason to only sue the rich defendant?
Assume that ...
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1answer
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Is it good legal strategy to consider public opinion (USA)?
I read an article in which the police asked for information about a motorist. The motorist had run a motorcycle off the road, although after the motorcyclist decided kick their passenger side door.
...
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Jurors pre-judging before trial [closed]
I was arrested on charges in North Carolina. During the ongoing investigation, but prior to trial, the local news ran a piece showing my mug shot. They didn't say my name, but did say some bad things ...
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Protocol if juror cannot hear or see something clearly
If a sitting juror, or a prospective juror during voir dire, cannot see or hear something clearly, what is the protocol for the juror to alert the court of this? Say something immediately? Raise your ...
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1answer
38 views
Are Jurors informed about jurry Nullification [duplicate]
Are jurors in US criminal trials informed that they can rule contrary to the law as given by the Judge (aka "jury nullification") by the judge or by any official source? What happens when juries do "...
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Are jurors ever told about jury nullification in the US? If not, why not?
It seems that if jury nullification is a right, then jurors should be told about it.
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137 views
Can a juror be held in contempt if he/she sexually harasses another juror during a trial?
During a trial, if a juror complains to a judge that another juror has been sexually harassing her/him either inside or outside of the courtroom, can the judge hold this accused juror in contempt of ...
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Child care exemptions for jury duty in NYS?
New York State (USA) here. I work full time and my wife is a full-time stay at home mom and caretaker for our two children (ages 4 and 6).
My wife received a Jury Duty summons and is expected to show ...
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2answers
207 views
Would a judge release a potential Juror who's only complaint was that he didn't want to be a juror?
From what I have heard of the selection process for jury duty it seems as if anyone who makes an argument for why they can't or shouldn't be a juror is excused by the judge, no matter how flimsy the ...
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Does talking about jury nullification get you blocked from jury duty? [duplicate]
I've heard from a few different (non-authoritative) sources that talking about jury nullification will get you removed from a jury. Is that actually true? If so, does it therefore follow that if you ...
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“Reasonable doubt” and conditional probabilities
Let A be the event that the accused is guilty and B is the event that evidence / testimonies are presented against the accused.
In the U.S., does "reasonble doubt" refers to a juror's subjective ...
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Translation of witness testimony
You are a juror on a serious criminal case in the United States.
One of the witnesses, a tourist, has no knowledge of English.
Questions and answers for this witness (both direct and cross) are ...
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2answers
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What juries usually do – hard statistical data [closed]
This morning the jury in the Manafort case had not yet returned a verdict but said they had a partial verdict. It was not yet clear on how many of the charges they had reached a verdict. A commentator ...
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Likelihood of jury selection procedure in this story
I had some questions about how jury selection works upon reading the following story that was shared to Facebook:
A couple of years ago I got called for jury duty and made it through
a couple of ...
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1answer
192 views
Requirement to disclose information during jury selection
During jury selection and you are a potential jury member, are you required to answer the question if asked whether you own a firearm or are a member of the NRA?
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201 views
Are damages in civil cases assessed by the judge or the jury?
In common law countries, criminal cases are usually tried by jury, but the judge is responsible for sentencing. Even in the United States, where there is a constitutional right to a criminal trial by ...
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1answer
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Any solid research on error rate of criminal conviction system: jury vs judges?
To my knowledge most countries use one of two systems for determining the guilt of the accused in criminal cases: “jury of your peers” (who don’t have to justify their decision) vs “judg(es), possibly ...
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Signing Declaration
I served as juror on a civil case last month. We've reached our verdict. After a month, I got a call from the losing party asking me to sign a declaration stating the facts about how we've reached our ...
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Could jury instructions reasonably be viewed as a kind of expert witness testimony?
It seems to me that jury instructions could be viewed as a kind of testimony provided by an expert witness (the judge) about what verdict must be returned based on what facts the jury finds to be true....
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Judge override jury verdict
From what I have read a judge can override a guilty verdict. If he does so, for what I have read, there is no reprisals to that judge if he decides to do so. That judge does NOT need to explain his ...
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What tactics can a juror use to get excused from jury duty?
Being a jury is a very low paid job. Most people are busy. Many cannot leave their bizs.
So, I would expect many people do not want to be a jury.
Can I pretend that I am a libertarian that knows ...
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In USA, is it possible to end up being called to jury duty even if you have not registered to vote?
My friend received a letter summoning her to jury duty.
She has not received anything like that before, even though she is now in her 40's and has been a U.S. citizen all her life. Also she never ...
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138 views
UK law - what is the process of convicting a defendant of a lesser offence than the charge?
There is already an (unanswered) question on the site regarding this in US law, but I'm asking about UK law, so I felt it appropriate to ask again: Can a jury always convict on a lesser included ...
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659 views
Intimidation by other jurors?
What recourse do I have if, as a juror, I am intimidated with threats of physical violence or other misfortunes by other jurors to reach a conclusion they want?
If the answer is to talk to the judge, ...
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1answer
158 views
Can a jury's vote be nullified , if majority of the jury is found to have leaning towards a certain political and racial group hence causing a bias?
In U.S. multiple ways have been politically implemented through which minorities don't have a huge representation , even in the jury. So , can the person who is trying to be convincted of a crime , ...
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4answers
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Why 12 Jurors, why not 11, 10, 9, 1?
The question might seem basic, but why do juries in the United States consist of 12 members?
Was there an experimental determination of this number?
Would the addition or removal of a juror ...
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1answer
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Do cases of Jury Nullification set precedent?
After reading the answers from this question, What is jury nullification?, I was wondering if cases of Jury Nullification would set legal precedent within a given jurisdiction.
For example, a legal ...
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318 views
Under what circumstance is trial by jury suspended in the UK?
The most obvious example I can think of is a Diplock court, where juries are suspended and the case presided over by a single judge. This arrangement was created in response to terrorism during The ...
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217 views
Do judges in Massachusetts always have original jurisdiction even in “trials by jury”?
How exactly does the law work with regards to the powers and privileges of juries. For example, in Massachusetts the law (General Laws Part III Title I Chapter 214) reads:
The supreme judicial ...
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2answers
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Why was Joe Arpaio not given a jury trial?
Joe Arpaio, the former Sheriff of Maricopa County, AZ, was found guilty of criminal contempt of court by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton on July 31, 2017. Apparently Arpaio requested a trial by jury, ...
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458 views
How to handle Traffic Court ignoring basic rights
I requested a trial by jury in WA state for a traffic ticket (I know not a standard or suggested move as I understand, but I figured if I was going to court, I might as well have the satisfaction of ...
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Why did Judge William H. Leery III refuse to have Jeronimo Yanez's testimony re-read to the jury?
Judge Denies Request to Reread Yanez Testimony, Jury Continues Deliberations
Recall that last year in Minnesota, officer Jeronimo Yanez killed Philando Castile, who was sitting on the passenger side ...
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180 views
What is the justification for discouraging juries from failing to reach a verdict?
It was reported yesterday that the jury in the Bill Cosby case was deadlocked but was ordered by the judge to continue to try to reach a verdict.
This was done by reading a standard statement:
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Can a jury find a defendant guilty on a charge for which the defendant was not arraigned?
Can a jury find a defendant guilty on a charge for which the defendant was not arraigned?
For example, if a defendant is indicted on a charge of manslaughter can the jury convict him of murder?
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Has the First Amendment been held to include the right to film jurors?
When (in what case) has the First Amendment been held to include the right to film jurors in a court room?
I also leave open the possibility that there has been no such holding or even an opposite ...
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Can a jury always convict on a lesser included charge?
There is a question on movie stack exchange regarding the Few good men movie (spoilers) regarding why some people were not found guilty of first degree murder but only of a factually fully different ...
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How would the court handle a situation where evidence could be provided that presents minor justification but would take extensive time to present
Imagine a court case where an argument for a defendant could be made that is judged to give them only a very slight increased chance of being found innocent, but would take a disproportionately large ...
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If a lawyer is a juror and he accurately explains a legal concept to fellow jurrors is he violating his ethical responsibilities?
Many questions on here stress that a jury is suppose to rule based off of the rules as explained to them by the judge and facts presented during the case, not on their own knowledge or expertise. It'...
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336 views
What if a juror admits to having disregarded a judge's faulty instructions?
There are a number of situations where this could arise, but I'll use the one that I'm most familiar with: the Frank Quattrone (mis)trial.
Frank Quattrone was an investment banker who was charged and ...
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Would someone face any repercussion for declaring they will vote guilty if made a juror?
Lets say someone doesn't want to serve jury duty. He shows up when summoned but states to the judge in no uncertain terms that he intends to vote guilty, regardless of the content of the case, if he ...
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457 views
Could a juror research legal or scientific information online to assist him in rendering his verdict?
Before anyone asks I am not a juror, I'm not researching things during a case, I promise I'm not being contemptuous inside or out of a court :)
There are a number of strict rules about what a juror ...
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Why can judges not set aside jury verdicts of acquittal?
Would it be correct to say that the reason why judges do not have power to set aside a jury verdict of acquittal in a criminal case is precisely that that would violate a right to a trial by jury? ...
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217 views
Why would a landlord put the following in a residential rental agreement?
I saw the following in a rental agreement:
Legal Proceedings: Landlord and Tenant agree that any action or
proceeding arising out of or in any way connected with this agreement,
regardless of ...
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9k views
Jurors not allowed to talk to each other during the trial?
Apparently many judges instruct jurors not to discuss the case in progress. What is the rationale for this, other than just yet another tactic to marginalize juries and prevent them from trying cases?
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