Importance Of Jury Duty

“Jury service is one of the most important civic duties you can perform. The protection of rights and liberties in federal courts largely is achieved through the teamwork of a judge and jury” (uscourts.gov). Conversely, often times people feel inconvenienced when they are summoned for jury duty rather than a privilege. When people have a negative impression on a matter, there can be a level of resentment, which in turn may lead to individuals not fully contributing in the decision making process of a jury. Jury duty is a privilege under the United States Constitution (Ferguson, 2013). The constitution is what gives the people of the U.S. their right, freedom, and liberty. The six amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads, “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense” (constitutioncenter.org). It is important to execute the U.S. Constitution as the Founding Fathers of the United States, intending to ensure the security of people’s rights, freedom, and liberty.

The purpose of Voir dire, is to eliminate people who may have personal connections to the trial or have bias that can affect the trial. The prosecution and defense each selected people to serve on the jury. The purpose is to choose twelve impartial people from varies backgrounds. (Minow, 2015). Once the jury is selected they are placed under oath and given instructions specific to the trial they will be on the jury