American Jury System: Reexamination and Change

Archive Report

Era of change in criminal justice

Approaching State Action on Jury Size Verdicts

Deeply rooted in the American concept of freedom under law is the role of government as protector of the individual citizen—protector against abuse of power by officials of the government, and against harm from lawbreaking individuals. At the heart of the concept is the system of justice, epitomized by the trial before a jury of one's peers. Today, the jury system is in a period of reexamination and change.

Congress acted in 1968 to require the inclusion of minority races, particularly Negroes, in the jury selection process. The Supreme Court ruled in 1970 that juries of fewer than 12 persons could hear state criminal cases, and on May 22, 1972, it upheld non-unanimous verdicts ...

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