CJUS 300 Quiz 4 - Understanding The Jury System And Supreme
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100% Correct Answers | Graded
1. The jury system
The jury system is central to U.S. democracy, and its origins can be found in the antecedents of the
Republic. Article III of the U.S. Constitution guarantees that crimes shall be tried by juries and trials will
be held in the state and district where the crimes were committed. Likewise, the Sixth Amendment to
the Constitution guarantees due process protections including speedy and public trials, impartial juries,
the defendant being informed of the accusations, and the defendant's right to be confronted with
witnesses against him or her.
The idea of trial by jury predates the United States by hundreds of years. Due process principles, as
outlined in the Magna Carta (1215), include that juries will be composed of “honest men of the
neighborhood,” which speaks to the right to a jury of one’s peers.
Jury service is required of citizens; states draw potential jurors from registered voter lists, state and
local censuses, or from driver’s license and state identification renewals. To be excused from service,
potential jurors must demonstrate that they cannot (hardship) or should not (bias) serve on a jury.
Courts in the United States find that many citizens would prefer not to meet jury service obligations.
Read the excerpts from a commentary about jury duty published in Forbes and answer the questions
that follow.
This is Why People Hate Jury Duty
It’s true that many salaried workers can go to jury duty without losing pay or burning vacation days.
But is it really a “paid vacation”? That depends on the nature of your job. If you’re just one
interchangeable cog in a corporate or government machine, maybe you can sit on a jury and let your
workload fall to your coworkers. But for a lot of salaried professionals, jury duty means being at the
courthouse from 8 to 4 and then going to the ofÏce to handle a slew of matters that only you are
equipped to handle.
In 2008, my then-boyfriend sat on a murder trial in Queens, which took a week and a half. Most of his
fellow jurors were public employees—on the last day, they even reached a verdict at 10 AM but
insisted on waiting to deliver it so they could get a free lunch. But every afternoon after court, Dave
was leaving Kew Gardens for Manhattan to do hours of work he couldn’t do during the day. When I was
a banker, my boss spent two weeks on a grand jury, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t coming to the
ofÏce. I even have a friend who is timing his move out of Washington D.C. to avoid compliance with a
grand jury summons.
, If you have a job that you can just drop for a few days—and an employer willing to pay you while you
don’t work—then sure, jury duty might be fun. Most people don’t fall into both of those categories.
(Source: Josh Barro, “This Is Why People Hate Jury Duty,” Forbes, February 27, 2012,
www.forbes.com/sites/joshbarro/2012/02/27/this-is-why-people-hate-jury-duty)
Legal Principle Legal Basis
Juries are to be composed of “honest men of the Magna Carta
neighborhood.”
Due process protections guaranteed to those accused of crimes The Sixth
include the right to a speedy and public trial and the right to
be confronted with witnesses. Amendment
Jury service is required of citizens who are selected from lists Various state laws
of residents, registered voters, or recipients of driver’s
licenses or state identification.
Article III of the
Crimes are to be tried by juries in the state in which the crime
was committed.
U.S. Constitution
Points:
1/1
Close Explanation
Explanation:
There are four elements that make up the basis of American law with regard to juries, including the
Magna Carta, which outlined the principle that juries will be comprised of “honest men of the
neighborhood”; Article III of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right to a jury trial and requires
trials to proceed in the state in which the alleged crimes took place; the Sixth Amendment, which
guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial as well as the right to be confronted with witnesses;
Court Nominations | Questions And Answers, Latest Update |
100% Correct Answers | Graded
1. The jury system
The jury system is central to U.S. democracy, and its origins can be found in the antecedents of the
Republic. Article III of the U.S. Constitution guarantees that crimes shall be tried by juries and trials will
be held in the state and district where the crimes were committed. Likewise, the Sixth Amendment to
the Constitution guarantees due process protections including speedy and public trials, impartial juries,
the defendant being informed of the accusations, and the defendant's right to be confronted with
witnesses against him or her.
The idea of trial by jury predates the United States by hundreds of years. Due process principles, as
outlined in the Magna Carta (1215), include that juries will be composed of “honest men of the
neighborhood,” which speaks to the right to a jury of one’s peers.
Jury service is required of citizens; states draw potential jurors from registered voter lists, state and
local censuses, or from driver’s license and state identification renewals. To be excused from service,
potential jurors must demonstrate that they cannot (hardship) or should not (bias) serve on a jury.
Courts in the United States find that many citizens would prefer not to meet jury service obligations.
Read the excerpts from a commentary about jury duty published in Forbes and answer the questions
that follow.
This is Why People Hate Jury Duty
It’s true that many salaried workers can go to jury duty without losing pay or burning vacation days.
But is it really a “paid vacation”? That depends on the nature of your job. If you’re just one
interchangeable cog in a corporate or government machine, maybe you can sit on a jury and let your
workload fall to your coworkers. But for a lot of salaried professionals, jury duty means being at the
courthouse from 8 to 4 and then going to the ofÏce to handle a slew of matters that only you are
equipped to handle.
In 2008, my then-boyfriend sat on a murder trial in Queens, which took a week and a half. Most of his
fellow jurors were public employees—on the last day, they even reached a verdict at 10 AM but
insisted on waiting to deliver it so they could get a free lunch. But every afternoon after court, Dave
was leaving Kew Gardens for Manhattan to do hours of work he couldn’t do during the day. When I was
a banker, my boss spent two weeks on a grand jury, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t coming to the
ofÏce. I even have a friend who is timing his move out of Washington D.C. to avoid compliance with a
grand jury summons.
, If you have a job that you can just drop for a few days—and an employer willing to pay you while you
don’t work—then sure, jury duty might be fun. Most people don’t fall into both of those categories.
(Source: Josh Barro, “This Is Why People Hate Jury Duty,” Forbes, February 27, 2012,
www.forbes.com/sites/joshbarro/2012/02/27/this-is-why-people-hate-jury-duty)
Legal Principle Legal Basis
Juries are to be composed of “honest men of the Magna Carta
neighborhood.”
Due process protections guaranteed to those accused of crimes The Sixth
include the right to a speedy and public trial and the right to
be confronted with witnesses. Amendment
Jury service is required of citizens who are selected from lists Various state laws
of residents, registered voters, or recipients of driver’s
licenses or state identification.
Article III of the
Crimes are to be tried by juries in the state in which the crime
was committed.
U.S. Constitution
Points:
1/1
Close Explanation
Explanation:
There are four elements that make up the basis of American law with regard to juries, including the
Magna Carta, which outlined the principle that juries will be comprised of “honest men of the
neighborhood”; Article III of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right to a jury trial and requires
trials to proceed in the state in which the alleged crimes took place; the Sixth Amendment, which
guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial as well as the right to be confronted with witnesses;