Our Jury System

Our Jury System

Background notes for

12 Angry Men

TO SERVE ON A JURY…

To be eligible to serve you must: • Be a citizen of the United

States• Be 18 years old or older• Reside in the county of service• Be able to read and write• Be of sound mind


You can not serve on a jury if:• You have been convicted of

any type of theft.

• You are now on probation or deferred adjudication for a felony or any type of theft.

• You are now under indictment for any felony or any type of theft.


•A summoned person receives a postcard or letter in the mail a couple of weeks before the date they are to appear.

•It is against the law not to appear the day you are assigned.


•When people respond to a jury summons, they gather at the court house to form a pool of potential jurors from which they are called in groups for specific criminal or civil trials.

•These people form a jury pool. A jury pool is broken into many jury panels and sent to different courts.


•Then they are questioned by attorneys for each side and/or the trial judge about their background, life experiences, and opinions to determine whether they can weigh the evidence fairly and objectively.

•This process is called voir dire, an Anglo-French term meaning "to speak the truth."


•Voir dire is one of the most important aspects of any trial. Many attorneys feel that jury selection is the single most significant procedure in the entire trial process.•The purpose of voir dire questioning is to obtain a fair and impartial jury. The selection process in which prospective jurors are questioned and challenged for bias can turn out to be a battle of wits and maneuvering more dramatic than the trial itself.•Four to five million Americans are called to jury service each year


•In ourCounty,

summoned jurors can go online to the

E-jury system & bypass part

of the process. Potential

jurors can pick the date they want to

attend jury duty and skip the jury pool

part of the process.


JURY

PO

OLLarge

group of prospective jurors assembled twice daily

JURY

PAN

ELSmaller group of prospective jurors sent to a courtroom

JURY

Small group of jurors who decide on a verdict

Jury Selection Process


ORDER OF TRIAL After the jury is seated, the trial will be held as follows: Opening statements from both sides Prosecution (criminal trial) or Plaintiff (civil trial) calls witnesses and presents evidence to make its case Defense calls witnesses and presents evidence to disprove the prosecution's/ plaintiff's case Rebuttal witnesses may be called to answer the claims made by defense witnesses Closing arguments from both sides Jury instruction by the judge Jury deliberation Jury verdict

OTHER THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW…

Prosecutor – the district attorney who tries to prove the guilt of the suspect.Defense Counsel – the lawyer who represents the defendant and tries to maintain innocence.Verdict – the final decision made by the jury.Foreman – a juror chosen to lead a jury and deliver the verdict to the judge.Convict – to find the suspect guilty of the crime.Acquit – to find the suspect innocent.Reasonable Doubt – a law which states that if a sensible amount of uncertainty, exists, a juror must vote to acquit.

OTHER THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW…

Innocent until proven guilty – the state must prove guilt; the suspect does not have to prove innocence.The Fifth Amendment – a person cannot be forced to testify against him or herself in a court of law. Double Jeopardy –a person cannot be tried twice for the same crime. Hung jury – a jury that cannot come to a verdict. If a hung jury occurs, the defendant can be tried again. Cross-examination – question a witness called by the opposing counsel.Deliberate – to consider or discuss carefully.Premeditated – planned or plotted in advance.Homicide – the killing of one person by another.

Quiz Question 1Anyone can serve on a jury.

True or False

Quiz Question 2 I know I live in Montgomery

County, but I still can serve on a jury in Walker County.

True or False

Quiz Question 3It is against the law not to

show up at jury duty.True or False

Quiz Question 4If you are convicted of a

felony (after 18) you may serve on a jury.

True or False

Quiz Question 5Everyone who shows up to

jury duty is picked to a jury.

True or False

Quiz Question 6Voir dire means

“to tell the truth.” True or False

Quiz Question 7During voir dire both sides of the

case get to ask potential jurors questions.

True or False

Quiz Question 8Double Jeopardy means

the state can try you multiple times until you are found guilty.

True or False

Quiz Question 9The word acquit means to find the suspect innocent

True or False

Quiz Question 10Sometimes 17 and 16 year

olds are called for jury duty.True or False

# 1st 2nd 3rd 7th 8th1 (foreman)

23456789101112JudgeClerkGuard

Foreman A small, petty man who is

impressed with the authority he has and handles himself quite formally. Not overly bright, but dogged.

Number 2 A meek, hesitant man who

finds it difficult to maintain any opinions of his own. Easily swayed and usually adopts the opinion of the last person to whom he has spoken.

Number 3 A very strong, very forceful ,

extremely opinionated man within whom can be detected a streak of sadism. A humorless man who is intolerant of opinions other than his own and accustomed to forcing his wishes and views upon others.

Number 4 Seems to be a man of wealth and

position. A practiced speaker who presents himself well at all times. Seems to feel a little bit above the rest of the jurors. His only concern is with the facts in this case , and he is appalled at the behavior of the others.

Number 5 A naive, very frightened

young man who takes his obligations in this case very seriously, but who finds it difficult to speak up when his elders have the floor.

Number 6 An honest but dull-witted man

who comes upon his decisions slowly and carefully. A man who finds it difficult to create positive opinions, but who must listen to and digest and accept those opinions offered by others which appeal to him most.

Number 7 A loud, flashy, glad-handed

salesman type who has more important things to do than to sit on a jury. He is quick to show temper, quick to form opinions on things about which he knows nothing. Is a bully and, of course, a coward.

Number 8 A quiet, thoughtful, gentle man.

A man who sees all sides of every question and constantly seeks the truth. A man of strength tempered with compassion. Above all , a man who wants justice to be done and will fight to see that it is.

Number 9 A mild, gentle old man, long

since defeated by life and now merely waiting to die. A man who recognizes himself for what he is and mourns the days when it would have been possible to be courageous without shielding himself behind his many years.

Number 10 An angry, bitter man. A man

who antagonizes almost at sight. A bigot who places no values on any human life save his own. A man who has been nowhere and is going nowhere and knows it deep within him.

Number 11 A refugee from Europe who had

come to this country in 1941. A man who speaks with an accent and who is ashamed, humble, almost subservient to the people around him, but who will honestly seek justice because he has suffered through so much injustice.

Number 12 A slick, bright advertising man

who thinks of human beings in terms of percentages, graphs, and polls and has no real understanding of people. A superficial- snob, but trying to be a good fellow.

Other Parts Judge Clerk Guard

All of these are minor parts. They do not talk much. The judge reads one large paragraph.

Look at the character descriptions of the jurors on pages 4-5 in the play. Which juror would you want on a jury if you were on trial for murder?

Look at the character descriptions of the jurors on pages 4-5 in the play. Which juror would you want on a jury if you were on trial for murder? If I was on trail for murder, juror number 8 would be the best juror. He shows he is honest and trustworthy throughout the entire play. “He is a quiet thoughtful man…who constantly seeks the truth.”



A Step one – ANSWER THE QUESTION. Make sure you echo some of the question in your answer.

I would like juror #11 on my jury if I was on trial for murder.

BStep 2 – BACK YOUR ANSWER UP with a quote from the story. Use a direct quote. You don’t need that much of a quote.

He is a man who would “honestly seek justice” in my case.

CStep 3 – CONLUDE WITH COMMENTARY. You must have a sentence explaining how your quote proves your point.

I would want someone who is concerned with truth in justice while they are judging me and deciding my fate and life.

ABC – all togetherI would like juror #11 on my jury if I was on trial for murder. He is a man who would “honestly seek justice” in my case. I would want someone who is concerned with truth in justice while they are judging me and deciding my fate and life.

Other things to remember…Do not start off a short answer with a pronoun or assume the reader knows the antecedent.The only writing a grader can read is what is in the box. You get 5 lines. Each short answer counts the same as three MC questions. DO NOT ever leave a box blank! Avoid 1st & 2nd person unless the question is asked in 1st person.

Act I Short Answer Practice

What can you infer about juror #10’s personality

from his words and actions in Act 1? Support

your answer with evidence from the text.

Act II Short Answer Practice

Juror #9 talks about courage and how important it is in this case. Which juror

has showed the most courage so far in this case?

Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Act III Short Answer Practice

Which of these 12 jurors are you most like? Why? Support

your answer with evidence from the

text.

Documents

Our Jury System