"The American Jury: We the People in Action"
Trial by jury has come a long way. In the past a man had to be judged by the government rather than a jury of his peers. It all started with Thomas Jefferson and the Framers of the Constitution. Thanks to them, we have the right to a speedy and public trial by jury of our peers. Trial by jury is very important nevertheless some men and women don't see its importance. Juries were once called the "twelve good men", but today that name makes no sense for the reason that a jury no longer needs to consist of 12 men. Today, a jury may include women as well. Today there are cases that a jury of twelve is not needed. The number of juror can go as low as six members. Verdicts are no longer required to be unanimous; it is based on a majority of votes. Racial and sexual discrimination was an issue before, but today we have laws protecting mino
The hassle of being a juror is a burden many do not want to face although it is our civil duty. Most cases that are heard at the state level usually take a day or two. This is one major reason people do not like jury duty is because they must take time off from work forfeiting a portion of their paycheck. Many of the cases shown on television imply that jury duty can take up weeks or even months to reach a final verdict. Sure, everyone can agree that sitting around all day may seem easy but that is not even half of the job description. We need to think of it as a privilege we attain to have a say in what is right and what is wrong. Jury duty comes up and throws all your plans out the window, the party you have been planning for weeks is now down the drain because you have been selected for jury duty that day. On the contrary to this, there are certain jurisdictions that make it a law for business owners to pay the individuals who miss work for jury duty. I can in some way agree that time spent sitting is better off making money. This civil duty was not easy to acquire. We have the capability to keep justice in order. If I were to ever be discriminated the Civil Rights Act of 1875 makes that a criminal offense. Time is such a precious thing to have. As you can see being a juror is anything but easy. Some think of it as a way that the government can taunt them, but the government does not pick on anyone in particular, the members are usually randomly chosen.
Common topics in this essay:
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Acceptance Essays
