Why do they choose random people for jury duty?

Juror Selection Those qualified are randomly chosen to be summoned to appear for jury duty. This selection process helps to make sure that jurors represent a cross section of the community, without regard to race, gender, national origin, age, or political affiliation.

What was the inspiration behind a 12 person jury?

One primary reason why today’s juries tend to have 12 people is that the Welsh king Morgan of Gla-Morgan, who established jury trials in 725 A.D., decided upon the number, linking the judge and jury to Jesus and his Twelve Apostles. The Supreme Court has ruled that smaller juries can be permitted.

Are there always 12 jurors?

The size of the jury varies; in criminal cases involving serious felonies there are usually 12 jurors. In civil cases many trials require fewer than twelve jurors.

What is the purpose of peremptory challenges?

A peremptory challenge results in the exclusion of a potential juror without the need for any reason or explanation – unless the opposing party presents a prima facie argument that this challenge was used to discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, or sex.

Why are some juries 6 and some 12?

After 600 years of common law tradition and 200 years of constitutional decisions holding that juries were to consist of twelve people, in the 1970s the Supreme Court reversed itself, reasoning that neither the language of the Constitution nor the intentions of the framers required juries to remain at twelve.

Who came up with 12 jurors?

The Welsh King Morgan of Gla-Morgan established jury trials in Wales, and, likening the judge and the jury to Jesus and his Twelve Apostles, established that the number of jurors would be twelve.

Can there be 11 jurors?

There will be 12 jurors at the start of any criminal trial (and possibly additional reserve jurors in longer trials) but sometimes jurors are discharged during the trial due to illness or for some other good reason. 12 jurors – the majority verdict can be 11-1 or 10-2. 11 jurors – the majority verdict can only be 10-1.

What might be some reasons a prosecuting or defending attorney might dismiss a juror from a case?

For example, a juror can be dismissed for cause if he or she is a close relative of one of the parties or one of the lawyers, or if he or she works for a company that is part of the lawsuit. Each lawyer may request the dismissal of an unlimited number of jurors for cause.

How many people are on a jury in a criminal case?

For a federal criminal trial, the final jury will have 12 members, plus one or more alternates. After the trial concludes, only 12 jurors get to participate in the decision making. For a federal civil trial, the final jury can have up to 12 members, but can’t be any smaller than 6.

How many ways can the jury be picked?

To find this, we need to know the number of ways the jury can be picked overall, and then the number of ways 6 men and 6 women can be on the jury. The fraction of the two will be the probability. The total number of ways the jury can be picked is the combination of a pool of 30 people and choosing 12: C30,12 = 30! (12!)(30 −12)! = 30! (12!)(18!)

Do juries have to be 12 people?

In modern Western Europe, several countries allow juries of a mere handful, with a mix of lay people and judges. And in 1970, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution does not require that a jury be made up of 12 people; six would do just fine.

What is the origin of trial by jury?

An ancient Welsh king, Morgan of Gla-Morgan, who established trial by jury in A.D. 725, is said to have declared, “For as Christ and his 12 apostles were finally to judge the world, so human tribunals should be composed of the king and 12 wise men.”