Jury

A jury is a group of people.

They listen to facts in court. They help decide what is fair.

Most juries have up to 15 people.

These people are called jurors. They listen to both sides of a story.

Some juries are much larger. A grand jury can have up to 23 people. They look for enough facts to start a trial.

This idea started a long time ago in England. Many lands still use it today. This includes the United States and Canada.

Juries help people follow the law. It is a very important job.

A jury is a group of people who listen to facts in court.

They help decide what is fair. Most trial juries are called petit juries. They have up to 15 people. These people are called jurors. They listen to both sides of a story. After they hear the facts, they talk together to reach a verdict. A verdict is a final decision. If a jury cannot agree, it is called a hung jury.

Some juries are much larger. A grand jury can have 16 to 23 members. They look at evidence to see if a trial should start.

This system started a long time ago in England. It grew from old customs in places like ancient Greece. In the 1100s, King Henry II helped make the system part of English law. This system is now used in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

In some places, a single judge makes the decisions instead of a jury. A coroner's jury can also be used to look into a death. This helps people trust the findings of a public official.

A jury is a group of people who help make legal decisions. They are called jurors. Most trials use a small group called a petit jury. These groups usually have up to 15 people.

Jurors listen to evidence from two sides. One side is the plaintiff or petitioner. The other side is the defendant or respondent. After hearing everything, the jurors talk alone to decide the facts. This decision is called a verdict. Sometimes, a jury cannot agree on a decision. This is called a hung jury.

There are also much larger groups called grand juries. These groups usually have between 16 and 23 members. In the United States, grand juries mostly work in federal courts. They look at evidence to see if a criminal trial should start. They can issue something called an indictment. This is a formal charge against a person. In the United States, the Fifth Amendment protects people from certain charges unless a grand jury decides to move forward.

The jury system has a very long history. It grew from old customs in ancient Greece. In Athens, juries used secret ballots to vote. They even had the power to cancel laws. The modern system grew in England during the Middle Ages. King Henry II helped make it a formal part of the law in the 1100s. At that time, jurors were often local people. They were expected to already know the facts from their own lives. This was called being a "self-informing" jury.

History shows that juries have changed many times. In the year 1215, the Catholic Church stopped using "ordeals." An ordeal was a way to test if someone was guilty using things like hot metal. Without ordeals, juries became even more important for finding the truth. In 1730, the British Parliament passed a law to make juries more fair. This law used a method called sortition. This meant jury members were chosen by lot, like drawing names from a hat. This helped make sure the selection was neutral.

Today, many countries use the jury system. It is common in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Ireland. These places use English common law. Other countries use different systems. Some use civil law or Islamic sharia law. In those systems, a single judge often makes the decisions. There are also special juries for specific jobs. A coroner's jury might look into a death to help people trust the findings. An advisory jury only gives an opinion to help a judge.

A jury is a sworn body of people known as jurors. They are brought together to hear evidence and make findings of fact. Their goal is to deliver an impartial verdict to a court. This verdict can decide a person's guilt or set a legal penalty. The jury system is a central part of the English common law system. It is used in many countries like the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Ireland.

There are several different types of juries used in legal systems. The most common type is the petit jury, also called a trial jury. This group usually consists of up to 15 people. They listen to evidence from both the plaintiff and the defendant. After the trial, they retire to deliberate on a verdict. A verdict may require a unanimous vote or just a majority. If the group cannot reach a decision, it is called a hung jury.

A grand jury is a much larger group used for different purposes. These juries typically have between 16 and 23 members. They are mostly used in federal courts and some U.S. states. Instead of deciding a trial, they examine evidence from a prosecutor. They decide if there is enough evidence to issue an indictment. An indictment is a formal charge that a criminal trial should proceed. In the United States, the Fifth Amendment guarantees this right for serious crimes.

Other specialized juries exist to handle specific legal needs. A coroner's jury may be called during an inquest by a coroner. A coroner is an official who investigates the circumstances of a death. These juries help increase public confidence in the official's findings. There are also advisory juries used in some courts. These are non-binding groups that provide an opinion to a judge. The judge remains the final decision-maker in these cases.

The history of the jury reaches back to ancient times. In ancient Athens, jury courts existed as early as 500 BCE. These juries used secret ballots to vote on cases. They even had the power to perform judicial review by annulling laws. In the Middle Ages, the modern jury system began to take shape in England. During the reign of Henry II in the 12th century, juries became more systematic. The Assize of Clarendon in 1166 helped spread this practice throughout the country.

Early juries functioned very differently than they do today. They were often "self-informing" groups of local men. This meant they were expected to know the facts before arriving at court. They used their own memories, investigations, or even rumors to understand a case. In 1215, the Catholic Church stopped supporting the use of ordeals. An ordeal was a way to test guilt through physical tests, such as hot metal. Without ordeals, the role of the jury became even more vital for determining truth.

Over hundreds of years, laws were passed to ensure juries remained fair. In 1730, the British Parliament passed the Bill for Better Regulation of Juries. This law required that jury panels be selected by lot, a process called sortition. This prevented officials from choosing only certain people for service. In the American colonies, juries played a major role in political changes. They helped check the power of the government during the American Revolution.