Jury Trial Analysis

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Recommended: Role of a jury in a criminal trial

A jury trial is not to be confused with a bench trial as it often times is. While a bench trial takes places only in front of a Judge who is then tasked with coming to a verdict on his/her own, a jury trial is one that is “composed of members of the community present at the trial to act as the finder of fact” (McGuigan, 2014). The constitutional trial rights that are sanctioned throughout a jury trial is called a trial by jury. This is in the sixth amendment which says that everyone has the right to a fair and speedy trial by an impartial jury. The steps involved in creating a jury for the purpose of carrying out a jury trial will be expressly addressed in this paper. Furthermore, the purpose of this paper will be to discuss, in detail, the steps that are involved in a jury trial which include selection of the Jury, the trial, the Judge’s charge, deliberation, and the verdict. Selecting the Jury: The first step in a jury trial is to select and establish a jury; jurors are initially selected from what is called a jury pool and this is essentially a list of all registered voters in the area that are both eligible and acceptable for the purpose of serving as a juror. Depending on the type of case, the size of the jury will vary; it is understood that civil cases will typically employ a jury of six people; misdemeanor cases that are less serious will typically have less than 12 jurors while the more serious cases will have 12 jurors as a requirement. Once a specific group of potential jurors has been selected, each juror will be called for questioning known as voir dire. “Voir dire is the process by which citizens are questioned before being selected to hear actual evidence as jurors” (ABA, 2014). It is after Voir dire questioning... ... middle of paper ... ...ew jury” (ABA, 2014). In cases where a mistrial is not the result and the jury panel members are in fact able to agree on a verdict, it is at this point that the last duty of the jury is carried out and that is presenting the verdict to the court. “After reaching a decision, the jury notifies the bailiff, who notifies the judge. All of the participants reconvene in the courtroom and the decision is announced. The announcement may be made by either the foreperson or the court clerk” (ABA, 2014). Works Cited American Bar Association (ABA) (2014). Selecting the jury. Retrieved from http://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/resources/law_related_education_network/how_courts_work/juryselect.html McGuigan, R. (2014). Bench trial and jury trial. Retrieved from http://www.rms-law.com/Articles/What-is-the-Difference-Between-a-Bench-Trial-and-a-Jury-Trial.shtml

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