Jury Duty : Reclaiming Your Political Power and Taking Responsibility / Michael Singer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Singer, Michael, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jury--United States.

Jury.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (256 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

New York : Bloomsbury Publishing (US), 2023.

Place of Publication:

Praeger, 2012.

Language Note:

English

System Details:

text file HTML

Summary:

Written by a legal scholar for the general reader, this book demystifies the institution of the jury and validates its political power, providing valuable insights for the more than 30 million Americans who receive a jury summons each year. Jury Duty: Reclaiming Your Political Power and Taking Responsibility presents an accessible account of the origins and development of the jury system as well as a comprehensive, stage-by-stage description of a jury trial and of the sentencing procedure in a criminal trial. The work also provides a unique estimate of the cost of the jury system, which is particularly relevant in this continuing era of budget constraints. Rejecting the justifications usually given for the jury system, the work explains how the political roles of the jury constitute the chief value of the jury system. The basis of these political roles is the unquestionable power of the jury to acquit even a guilty criminal defendant, which allows juries to prevent the enforcement of unjust laws and the imposition of unjust punishments. Accordingly, the book challenges a range of practices that the judiciary has developed to obstruct the jury's exercise of this power. Most people-even including many lawyers-remain unaware of these practices, but they undermine the value of the jury system to our society. Finally, the book offers an original, thought-provoking analysis of the responsibilities imposed on criminal trial jurors in cases of compelling injustice.

Contents:

Acknowledgments Introduction PART I The Basics of the Jury System Chapter 1 How the Jury System Works Chapter 2 What the Jury System Costs Chapter 3 Citizens as Jurors in the Justice System PART II Myths about the Jury System Chapter 4 The Myth of Improved Trial Outcomes Chapter 5 The Myth of Promoting Democratic Citizenship PART III The Jury as Political Institution Chapter 6 The Long History of the Nullification Power Chapter 7 The Jury as Safeguard against Government Chapter 8 The Worth of the Jury System PART IV Government Obstruction of the Jury Chapter 9 Obstruction of the Jury in the Trial Process Chapter 10 Obstruction of the Jury in the Sentencing Process PART V Jury Responsibility Chapter 11 Discretion and Responsibility Chapter 12 Conscientious Fulfillment of Jury Duty Chapter 13 Juror Responsibility for Unjust Prison Conditions Notes Bibliography Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [217]-234) and index.

ISBN:

9798400675232

9798216107521

9786613861887

9781283549431

1283549433

9781440802706

144080270X

OCLC:

898421941