Contents
The right to a trial by jury, one of the most time-honored inheritances from Magna Carta in United States law, refers to the guarantee that courts will depend on a body of citizens to render judgments in most civil and criminal cases. The origins of the jury trial precede the creation of Magna Carta.
The origin of the jury is disputed. It may have been indigenous to England or have been taken there by the Norman invaders in 1066. Originally, the jurors were neighbourhood witnesses who passed judgment on the basis of what they themselves knew.
By the late 800s, under the leadership of Alfred the Great, trial by a jury of one’s peers became the norm throughout England. William Blackstone, the great historian of English common law, considered the Frankish Inquest, developed in 829 A. D. as the start of the modern jury system.
The jury began in the form of a grand or presentment jury with the role of inquest and was started by Frankish conquerors to discover the King’s rights. Henry II regularized this type of proceeding to establish royal control over the machinery of justice, first in civil trials and then in criminal trials.
The influential English legal commentator Sir William Blackstone trumpeted Magna Carta’s guarantee of trial by jury. 2 American constitutional debates reg- ularly cited Magna Carta in connection with the right to jury trial. And linkages between jury trial rights and Magna Carta continue today.
The concept of the jury system can be traced to Athens, Greece, around 400 B.C. These earliest juries heard arguments in legal cases but did not apply law.
Originating from the Greek geliast court and the century assembly in ancient Rome, the jury trial emerged in his classic form in England in the 11th century (Heinze, 1896; Lobban, 2002). Its long history (over 800 years) is an important and positive argument in its further development.
The jury consists of 12 members of the public who sit in a box to one side of the judge. One of the jurors is selected as a foreman of the jury by the members of the jury before the case starts. He or she acts as an informal chairperson and spokesperson for the jury.
The first trials by civilian juries of 12 in the colony of New South Wales were held in 1824, following a decision of the NSW Supreme Court on 14 October 1824. The NSW Constitution Act of 1828 effectively terminated trial by jury for criminal matters.
In the 12th century, Henry II took a major step in developing the jury system. Henry set up a system to resolve land disputes using juries. A jury of twelve free men were assigned to arbitrate in these disputes.
Trial by jury is the most venerated and venerable institution of Anglo-American law. Although it dates from 1215, it did not come about as a result of Magna Carta, but rather as the consequence of an order by Pope Innocent III (1161–1216).
The Sixth Amendment guarantees the rights of criminal defendants, including the right to a public trial without unnecessary delay, the right to a lawyer, the right to an impartial jury, and the right to know who your accusers are and the nature of the charges and evidence against you.
Draco and Solon
The Athenian statesman Solon was appointed official lawgiver around 594 B.C.E. Solon wrote many of the laws that were used in Athenian courts. There were four types of laws: Tort Laws, Family Laws, Public Laws, and Procedural Laws.
The Philippines accepts the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice. An informal local system for arbitrating or mediating certain problems operates outside the formal court system. There is no jury system.
Russia has a civil law system that rarely uses juries for either criminal or civil trials. Indonesia has a civil law system that never uses juries. Few countries use religious law as a national legal system. It is most common in the Middle East, where countries look to the holy book of Islam, the Quran, for guidance.
There is no jury in China, instead, there are people’s assessors. In particular cases, people’s assessors and judges will form a collegial panel to hear cases together. According to China’s Civil Procedure Law (CPL), the people’s assessors have equal rights and obligations as judges.
The South African Law Commission has given a number of reasons for the gradual decline of juries, including: Expansive powers of the Minister of Justice to order trials without a jury. Reluctance of the public to serve on juries. Widespread exemptions leaving few competent jury candidates.
King George pressed taxes without the people’s consent. For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury. King George didn’t allow people of the benefit of Trial by Jury.
Jury trials educate jurors about the justice system. People who serve on juries have a greater respect for the system when they leave. … judge your guilt or innocence. In a civil case, a jury of citizens will determine community standards and expectations in accordance with the law.
In the American court system, criminal defendants are guaranteed the right to trial by a “jury of their peers”. In California, a pool of potential jurors is randomly selected from the local population of individuals eligible for jury duty. California law states a qualified juror as: a U.S. citizen.
If you have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges and are being tried in the District or Supreme Court then more than likely a jury will determine whether you are guilty or not guilty. … Most criminal trials in the District Court or Supreme Court involve a jury.
Working Together: Judge and Jury
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.
Before we detail the 12 members of the jury, we’ll provide the details on the selection process and the numerous jurors that were dismissed during the length trial. A big tip of the hat to UMKC, which provides plenty of background details on the Simpson jury members and selection process.
If the accused or defendant is found guilty, the judge decides what sentence to impose. This does not usually occur immediately after the verdict is given. The sentence may be given days or weeks later, but the jury is no longer required.
The overwhelming majority of cases that the Supreme Court does hear in its original jurisdiction are equitable in nature and therefore do not require a jury. Instead, the Court delegates any fact-finding to a special master.
With at least one minority on the jury, the jury can be as close to perfect impartiality as possible. This study shows that jury race does indeed have a large impact on conviction rates. Therefore, excluding jurors by race is unfair, no matter what reasons the prosecutors come up with.
Answer: The jury system began in 1189 in the first year in the reign of Henry II. Before that, they didn’t have juries, but if you could find 12 people to support your case, you’d be released. Since then, it evolved from the 12 being witnesses to 12 deciding on the facts.
In Canada, a criminal law jury is made up of 12 jurors selected from among citizens of the province or territory in which the court is located. Any adult Canadian citizen can be considered for jury duty. … Some people may not be required to do jury duty by the laws of their province.
The Anglo-Saxons used trial by ordeal to determine proof through the Judgement of God, the Judicium Dei. The two main types of ordeal are explored, trial by hot iron and trial by water.