Jury duty 101
Jury duty is the obligation to serve as impartial decision-makers in court proceedings for eligible US citizens. The word “jury” derives from the Latin “jurare” (to swear), and the practice is rooted in the English common law system and codified in the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Amendments to the US Constitution.
To be eligible, a citizen must be at least 18 years old, proficient in English, and free of disqualifying criminal convictions or pending felony charges. When summoned, prospective jurors report to court, where attorneys and the judge conduct voir dire—a French phrase meaning “to speak the truth”—questioning candidates about potential biases. Attorneys may dismiss unlimited jurors for demonstrable bias and a limited number for no stated reason.
Two distinct jury types exist in the American legal system. The petit (trial) jury hears evidence, receives legal instructions from the judge, and deliberates toward a verdict—though, in practice, fewer than 2% of federal criminal cases ever go to trial, and the rate is even lower in most state courts.
A grand jury, by contrast, does not determine guilt, but decides whether prosecutors have sufficient evidence to formally charge someone with a crime. A grand jury is required in all federal cases involving serious crimes under the Fifth Amendment, but its use varies from state to state. As of 2023, an estimated 14.4% of Americans were summoned for jury duty annually, with approximately 11 million people reporting for service.
… Read our full write-up on Jury Duty here.
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> A TV show put one unsuspecting man on a fake jury surrounded entirely by actors for three weeks. (More)
