I didn’t know jury trials were an American thing. According to Jury | Britannica 90 percent of jury trials occur in the US. A defendant who faces a penalty in excess of a six month imprisonment has a constitutional right to have their case judged by a jury of their peers.
It seems when their are tough decisions to make, we prefer to defer to a group. A jury is interesting as their deliberations are done privately, no outside judging, no transparency. There’s an anonymity to a group. The group has to come together behind a decision and stand by it in front of the court.
This is a service done without compensation, a civic duty. Granted, many will sabotage their opportunity to sit in the jury box. Reading through this coverage of jury selection in the Derek Chauvin case provides plenty of examples. And then there are those like #52 who is compelled to participate in an historic court case.
It takes all types of people with all types of talents to round out a group.
Reporting from the Hennepin County Court house:
Entire thread
Chauvin’s attorney says the Court should consider: giving the defense extra strikes, delaying the trial, moving the trial outside Hennepin County, bringing back the seated jurors to ask them what they’ve heard, or immediately sequestering all the jurors.
“We’ve got a mayor who is a lawyer by trade, he should know better,” defense says of Jacob Frey. Judge Cahill: “I wish City officials would stop talking about this case.” May bring back seated jurors to inquire, motion to delay trial taken under advisement—nothing decided yet.
The first prospective juror of the day right away discloses she heard about the $27m George Floyd family civil lawsuit settlement on the radio. “When I heard it I almost gasped at the amount,” she says. She doesn’t think she can be impartial, and has been excused.
Prospective juror #52 says he doesn’t think Chauvin intended to harm anyone, but he wonders why the other officers didn’t intervene and stop him. Supports BLM. “This is the most historic case of my lifetime and I would love to be a part of it,” he says. He’s on the jury.
Prospective juror #54 in the #ChauvinTrial is 75 years old and describes being “appalled” by the video. “To exert that kind of force for that long just seemed out of line to me,” he says. After expressing doubt over whether he can be impartial, the judge excuses him.
Originally tweeted by Tony Webster (@webster) on March 15, 2021.
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