Jury trials are a crucial part of the US legal system, with citizens receiving a jury summons by mail and being questioned by attorneys during voir dire. Failure to respond without a valid excuse can result in penalties. Other countries have different jury systems or none at all.
The jury trial is one of the most important aspects of the legal system in the United States. In the United States, anyone accused of a crime is guaranteed the right under the United States Constitution to have a jury trial. Additionally, civil trials can often be before a jury, as permitted by the Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution. With the large number of jury trials ongoing at any one time in every state, calling citizens to fulfill their civil duty as jurors is an important part of the justice system.
While it varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, a citizen in the United States typically receives a jury summons by mail. The jury summons will indicate which court requires the citizen’s presence and on what date he must appear. There are always some exceptions; however, failure to respond to a jury summons without meeting one of the exceptions may result in jail time, a fine, arrest warrant, or other penalties. Exceptions, which vary widely, may include residing less than 50% of the time in the county in which the court is located, inability to understand English, old age, under 18, welfare and residence with a permanently disabled person and a mental health problem or other health-related problem. In most cases, a medical note must accompany any apology relating to health and pregnancy or work-related concerns are rarely considered an apology in the eyes of the court.
Upon receipt of the jury summons, the citizen must appear in court on the date and time of the request. At that point, he will be given a test. As part of the trial, called voir dire, plaintiff and defendant attorneys can ask prospective jurors questions as a group and on an individual basis. Based on each prospective juror’s response, attorneys can decide whether they would like the prospective juror to serve as the actual juror during the trial or if they would like to fire the prospective juror for cause or as one of their pre-emptive strikes – where no reason or cause must be indicated. The fired jurors go home and their day in court is done; selected jurors continue the trial.
In some states and counties, a citizen who receives a jury summons can postpone the date on which he or she must appear in court. In some jurisdictions, the date is pushed back by a few weeks, and in other jurisdictions, the date can be pushed back by a year. Postponing a jury convening date is perfect for those citizens with newborn babies, a planned vacation, or other valid conflicts.
The United States isn’t the only country to have jury trials; however, it accounts for the majority of jury trials. In some other countries, such as India and Germany, the use of jury has been abolished. In Australia and the United Kingdom, jurors are used and are summoned by a postal jury summons; but, they are accepted without allowing the attorneys to participate in the question and answer period or voir dire. In some countries, such as Belgium, Canada and Russia, juries are convened but are reserved for the most violent offences, offenses where the penalty is at least five years’ imprisonment or offenses where the penalty is death. Every country has its own legal system, many have undergone serious changes over the centuries, and nearly all are trying to find the system that works best for their citizens.
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