Juries

Do you think humor is helpful or harmful in the courtroom, and why?

Does comedy or humor work in the courtroom? Sometimes, writes Philip N. Meyer in a September 2016 ABA Journal article, “but you have to be careful when and how you use it. And always know what the purpose is and who is the subject and object of the humor.” Janet…

Jul 11, 2019 2:21 PM CDT

Kavanaugh opinion overturns conviction of black defendant for racial bias in jury selection

A black Mississippi inmate faces a possible seventh trial after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 Friday that a prosecutor had displayed racial bias in jury selection.

Jun 21, 2019 9:35 AM CDT

Supreme Court should end nonunanimous juries, ABA argues in amicus brief

It’s time to extend the Sixth Amendment right to a unanimous jury to the states, the ABA argues in an amicus brief submitted this week to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jun 19, 2019 2:50 PM CDT

Cap on pain-and-suffering damages violates Kansas Constitution, state supreme court says

The Kansas Supreme Court ruled 4-2 Friday that a cap on noneconomic damages violates the right to a jury trial under the state constitution’s Bill of Rights. The court struck down a damages cap of $250,000 in the case of Diana Hilburn, a passenger in a car rear-ended by a…

Jun 18, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Jurors deadlock in case of Arizona teacher who helped immigrants

Jurors in Tucson, Arizona, were unable to reach a verdict Tuesday in the case of a teacher who helped immigrants through his volunteer work with No More Deaths.

Jun 12, 2019 11:53 AM CDT

Play about Hamlet puts Chicago judges and attorneys center stage

Please, Continue (Hamlet), a play starring actual trial judges, public defenders and prosecutors in the roles of the court officials, was performed April 25-28 in Chicago at the Museum of Contemporary Art. It’s been showcased hundreds of times in countries around the world “with wildly varying verdicts, drawing attention to the theatrical nature of justice systems,” according to the MCA’s website.

May 28, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Oregon may finally join 49 other states that require unanimous jury decisions in criminal cases

In 49 U.S. states and the federal court system, a 10-2 vote would not have been enough to convict. Oregon is currently the only state that permits convictions (for felonies other than murder) on a 10-2 or 11-1 vote of the jury. That practice has come under criticism in recent years by people who say it was enacted for racist reasons; it denies minority viewpoints on the jury a voice and removes an important safeguard against wrongful convictions.

May 1, 2019 2:30 AM CDT

When it comes to jury trials, should you tell a story or stick to the facts?

Today’s jury trials are nothing like the trials of the past, but jurors are still self-informing in surprising ways, says author Drury Sherrod.

Apr 11, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Take a note from how Bob Dylan cleverly retrofits traditional melodies to craft a story

For me, the most important law songs, the ones that are closest to my heart, are often not about lawyers at all but instead about themes of justice and injustice. The most remarkable of these songs are by our two greatest folk poets: Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.

Apr 1, 2019 1:30 AM CDT

Are unanimous juries required in state criminal cases? SCOTUS will consider overruling precedent

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider whether to overrule a 1972 case that allowed nonunanimous verdicts in state criminal trials. The court agreed to decide whether the Sixth Amendment requires unanimity in the case of Louisiana inmate Evangelisto Ramos, who was sentenced to life in prison after…

Mar 18, 2019 3:00 PM CDT

Why do juries acquit police officers of brutality? Experts offer differing explanations

Some jury verdicts in favor of police officers accused of brutality or wrongful shooting deaths have left some observers scratching their heads. Why did jurors acquit despite video or other persuasive evidence?

Mar 15, 2019 12:00 PM CDT

Drug kingpin El Chapo convicted; defense case lasted half-hour

Drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera was convicted Tuesday following a three-month trial in which the defense case lasted only a half-hour. Guzman, 61, was convicted on all counts, including charges of drug trafficking and conspiracy, report the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and…

Feb 12, 2019 3:15 PM CST

Judge’s unusual instruction could upend at least a dozen murder convictions

At least a dozen Pennsylvania murder convictions are being challenged because of an unusual jury instruction by a judge who has since resigned from the bench. The reasonable-doubt instruction by Judge Renee Cardwell Hughes led federal judges to order new trials for two defendants, although other judges have upheld the…

Jan 3, 2019 12:00 PM CST

The married couple, the witch and the courtroom: A tale of jury selection

A few years ago, in a sleepy mountain town in Colorado, I worked on a medical malpractice case that threw into question who I thought would, or could, be picked as a juror.

Jan 2, 2019 6:30 AM CST

Da Vinci’s code: Lawyers can draw valuable lessons from Walter Isaacson’s ‘Leonardo da Vinci’

With winter’s chill now in full force, I recall sitting in a beach chair in late August on a spit of sand on the rocky Maine coast reading Walter Isaacson’s marvelous book Leonardo da Vinci. I have been completely absorbed by the book, and it seems as if I have…

Jan 1, 2019 2:20 AM CST