Jury System History

687 Words2 Pages

Emily Young
Aimee Chavez
Cornerstone Charter Academy
December 18, 2014
History of the Jury System
Historians today are unsure on whether or not the jury system existed prior to the 10th century. It is well established that William the Conqueror brought the jury system to England from Normandy, after witnessing people who knew about a matter to tell a court of law what they knew or in modern terms, to "swear" under oath. The English word “juror” comes from the Old French “jurer” which means to swear. Wherever the jury system began, it has now spread across the globe and has shaped the world today. The right to trial by jury is the basis of the individual freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. jury system has evolved over time …show more content…

The roots of the separate evolution had begun. New theories of law, as well as social and political forces, had a strong impact on the jury's role, sometimes expanding it and other times limiting it. Although, early colonial law was based upon the English common law and British parliamentary statutes. For example, the Articles of Confederation, which was made to try and be different than Britain, made the United States more like Britain than ever. The right to trial by a jury of one's peers became a symbol of the overthrown power of the British king. Since then, the jury has become a central principle of American …show more content…

A judge will excuse anyone whose biased attitudes will interfere with his or her duties as a juror. This pretrial phase called the “voir dire”. Questioning jurors about their beliefs is forbidden in England and Canada, therefore “voir dire” is not used. At one time, American juries were instructed that after hearing the evidence, they had the right both to decide the facts of the case and to interpret the meaning of the law, regardless of what the judge told them. Though this practice has changed, American juries still have more power and discretion than English and Canadian juries. American juries also play an important role in deciding whether or not the death penalty should be given to people convicted of first-degree murder. Additionally, thirteen states give the jury the authority to set the length of prison sentence for defendants convicted of other serious crimes. In their countries, juries are far more obedient to judges. Judges alone pronounce the law and set

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