Document Type
Classic
Publication Date
2003
Abstract
Americans love to complain about the jury. They complain about being called for jury duty. They complain about jury verdicts in highly publicized cases. They are outraged by the failure to convict "obviously guilty" criminals, such as the police officers in the cases of Rodney King and Amadou Diallo, the Menendez brothers in their first trial, and of course O.J. Simpson. In civil cases, they are appalled when plaintiffs win huge damage awards in "obviously frivolous" lawsuits. Juries are ignorant and uneducated, juries are gullible, juries are swayed by passion and prejudice rather than reason. Criticizing jury verdicts allows us to demonstrate our moral and intellectual superiority.
Recommended Citation
Ellsworth, Phoebe C. "One Inspiring Jury." Review of Twelve Angry Men, by R. Rose. Mich. L. Rev. 101, no. 6 (2003): 1387-407.