ThejurysysteminAmerica

1、The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution establishes the right to a jury trial in all federal criminalcases. The Seventh Amendment gives the same right in civil cases that involve more than a smallamount of money. States also have their own laws that govern jury trials The Un ited States has three ki

2、nds of juries. The most comm on is called the petit jury. Petit juriesdecide both criminal and civil cases. They can have as few as five or six members or as many astwelve. Often a jury trial lasts only a day or two, but some can go much Ion ger.During a trial, lawyers for opposing sides question pe

3、ople called to give evidenee. The lawyers alsomake opening and closing statements to the jury.At the end, the judge makes a final statement to the jury. The judge explains the laws that governthe decision the jury must make. For example, in a criminal trial, the judge explai ns reas on abledoubtUnde

4、r American law, a person is considered innocent until proven guilty. Jurors do not have to becompletely sure that the person is innocent. They only need to have a reas on able questi on in theirmind. Unless they are sure the pers on is guilty as charged, they must find the suspect not guilty.Directi

5、ons to juries are often full of legal language. California and other states have been trying tomake them easier to understand.Juries meet in private to reach a judgment. Most states require all the jurors in a criminal case toagree on the verdict. A few states now require only a majority vote.When a

6、 jury cannot reach a verdict, it is called a hung jury. There was a recent example in New York.A jury failed to agree on criminal charges against two former leaders of Tyco International, amanufacturing and service company.Dennis Kozlowski served as chief executive. Mark Swartz was chief financial o

7、fficer. The two menwere accused of stealing six hundred-milllon dollars from Tyco. Both pleaded not guilty.Eleven members of the jury believed the men were guilty of at least some of the charges. Thetwelfth juror, however, disagreed. She held to her opinion during days of argument with otherjurors.F

8、in ally, i n early April, the judge declared a mistrial with a hung jury. He blamed outside pressure onthe juror. News media usually do not report the names of jurors, at least until a trial ends. However,this juror was said to have made an O.K.1sign with her hand to lawyers for the defense.The tria

9、l lasted six mon ths. Ano ther trial may take place, since the first en ded without a verdict.Individuals and organizations that believe they have suffered a civil wrong can bring a lawsuit incourt. This process is called filing suit. Many lawsuits are settled out of court. If a trial is held, juror

10、sare not required to decide bey ond a reas on able doubt, like in a crimi nal case. They must decideonly that there is eno ugh evide nee to support the accusations. The jury might also awardthousands or millions of dollars in damages, if requested.Another kind of jury is the grand jury. As many as t

11、wenty-three people may serve on one. TheUnited States has two kinds of grand juries. The charging grand jury decides if there is eno ughevide nee to bring some one to trial. If the jury decides there is eno ugh, the n it in diets the person.In April, a grand jury in Califor nie in dieted Michael Jac

12、ks on. The entertainer faces charges ofsexual crimes with a child. A petty jury will have to decide the case at a trial.The other kind of grand jury is called the investigatory grand jury. Officials often call this kind ofgrand jury together in cases of organized crime or wrongdoing by government of

13、ficials. The jurorsare asked to approve efforts to gather evidenee, often secretly.There was an interesting case a few years ago in the state of Connecticut. A judge acted as aone-person jury to investigate the death of a fifteen year old girl. Martha Moxley was killed innineteen seventy five.The ju

14、dge gathered evidenee that led to the trial of a man who had lived near the girl. The man wasalso fifteen years old at the time of the killing. A petit jury found him guilty and sentenced him toprison.Fin ally, some in vestigati ons in the Un ited States are heard by a coron ers jury. A coroner is a

15、 localmedical examiner. The coroner usually calls six jurors to a hear!ng known as an inq uest. An inq uesttakes place when some one has died un der suspicious or unknown conditions. The jury is asked todecide the cause of death.Courts choose jurors from public records like lists of voters or automo

16、bile drivers. People called tojury duty receive some questions by mail. Are they American citizens? Do they understand English?Do they have a mental or physical disability that would interfere? Some people are excused forhealth or family reasons, or because they cannot take time from work. But jury

17、service is considereda duty of citizenship.A judge asks more questions once a jury is being chosen for a trial. So do lawyers for both sides inthe case. Many times, they can reject people without the need to give a reason.In some big cases, hundreds of people are called. Lawyers may use jury experts

18、 to help them choosethe ones who seem most sympathetic. Some people say this is not fair.Jurors are not supposed to form opinions or know too much about a case before the trial begins. Butsometimes it is difficult to find such people.In Califor nia, a man n amed Scott Peters on has bee n charged wit

19、h the murder of his preg nant wife,Laci. Mister Peters on denies the charges. It would be difficult to live in the United States and nothave heard or read about this case.Lawyers for Mister Peters on asked to have the trial moved out of the city where police believe thecrime took place. The lawyers

20、said he would not be able to get a fair trial there. So earlier this year ajudge agreed to a move.But on May third the head of the defense team requested another change. He said it was still notpossible to find eno ugh people who could be trusted to serve as fair-mi nded jurors.There are criticisms

21、of the American jury system. Some involve issues that divide America ns in general. One such issue is race. An example often used is the case of OJ. Simps on, the former actor andfootball player. Mister Simps on is black. He was charged in Los Angeles with killing his former wifeand a male friend of

22、 hers, both white.In nin etee n nin ety-five, a mainly Africa n America n jury found OJ. Simps on not guilty of criminalcharges. Later, a mainly white jury ruled against him in a civil case brought by the families of thevictims. The jury ordered him to pay millions of dollars in damages.Public opini

23、on research found that most white America ns believed that the crimi nal jury freed aguilty man. Most black America ns believed the civil jury pun ished an innocent man. Neither groupthought the other had acted out of a desire for justice.Wealth is another issue for critics of the legal system. One recent example involves Martha Stewart.In March a jury found the businesswoman guilty of lying about her sale of shares in a company.One of the jurors later said the verdict meant a defeat for the rich and powerful. Commentatorsquestioned whether the man had dec