Our Jury System

Background notes for

12 Angry Men

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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

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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.

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•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.  

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•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.

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•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." 

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•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

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•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.

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L Large group of prospective jurors assembled twice daily

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NELSmaller

group of prospective jurors sent to a courtroom

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Y Small

group of jurors who decide on a verdict

Jury Selection Process

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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

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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.

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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 6

Voir 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

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.

# 1st 2nd 3rd 7th 8th

1 (foreman) Mariah Chase Emily Christian Starley

2 Connor Elide Audrey Maria Jade

3 Travis Colton Dejohna Shane Shane

4 Nelson Stephen MacKenzie Brigitte Ryan

5 Aaron Brandy Bailey Karina Jennifer

6 Allison Cori Ben Will Ronica

7 Justin C. Jerlisa Kyle Mason Nicole

8 John Damien Megan Austin Sydney

9 Taylor Jordan D. Devin Robert Andy-Lynne

10 Garrett Justin M. Sebastian Nathan Hector

11 Alex Jordan K. Katie Kyle Christian

12 Ricky Bailey Corbin Tyler Smith Payton

Judge Keith Braden Christian Luis Maria Pina

Clerk Emily Shelbie Shelby Avery Jeremy

Guard Juan Cassie Josh Ceiveon Maria Parra

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?

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.

WRITE THE SENTENCE ABOVE IN YOUR FIRST

SQUARE.

CStep 2 – CITE EVIDENCE FROM THE STORY to back up your answer. Use a direct quote. This can be any phrase or sentence from the story.

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

WRITE THE SENTENCE ON YOUR PAPER TOO!

EStep 3 – EXPLAIN. You must have one or two sentences explaining how your quote proves your point. This is where you can dazzle the readers with your knowledge.

I would want someone who is concerned with truth in justice while they are judging me and deciding my fate and life. He is the only juror who would leave his own opinion out of his deliberation.

FILL IN THE LAST SENTENCE ON YOUR PAPER

ACE– all together

I 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. He is the only juror who would leave his own opinion out of his deliberation.

A - now highlight all of the A part yellow

I 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. He is the only juror who would leave his own opinion out of his deliberation.

A - now highlight all of the A part yellow

I 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. He is the only juror who would leave his own opinion out of his deliberation.

C - now highlight all of the C part blue

I 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. He is the only juror who would leave his own opinion out of his deliberation.

C - now highlight all of the C part blue

I 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. He is the only juror who would leave his own opinion out of his deliberation.

E - now highlight all of the E part pink

I 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. He is the only juror who would leave his own opinion out of his deliberation.

E - now highlight all of the E part pink

I 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. He is the only juror who would leave his own opinion out of his deliberation.

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 10 lines. Short answer questions count 20% of your score. DO NOT ever leave a box blank! Avoid 1st & 2nd person unless the question is asked in 1st person.

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?

You cannot use juror #11 this time.

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

You cannot use juror #11 this time.

CStep 2 – CITE EVIDENCE FROM THE STORY to back up your answer. Use a direct quote. This can be any phrase or sentence from the story.

You cannot use juror #11 this time.

EStep 3 – EXPLAIN. You must have one or two sentences explaining how your quote proves your point. This is where you can dazzle the readers with your knowledge.You cannot use juror

#11 this time.

Now highlight the Answer – yellow

Cite – blue

Explain – pink

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.Answer – yellow

Cite – blue

Explain – pink

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.