Abstract
Juries are legal institutions in which a group of citizens, drawn from a cross‐section of the population, hear a criminal or civil trial and deliberate to a verdict. The jury is also a fundamental democratic institution, directly engaging citizens in shaping justice. Jury usage in the United States has precipitously declined since the 1950s; juries today hear only a tiny fraction of cases in state and federal courts. The American jury system continues to face challenges in achieving ideals of representation of the population and egalitarian deliberations. Social science research on differences between judge and jury verdicts suggests that jurors bring community‐based insights and act as a hand brake on the state's power, but there is also evidence of racial bias in jury verdicts. General public support for the jury, and the expansion of lay decision‐making in other countries, point to the jury's continuing importance as a legal and democratic institution.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
