Serving on a Jury

Juries decide verdicts in court cases. Learn how jurors are chosen for this important duty and what serving on a jury is like.

Titles in this set:

The U.S. House of Represent atives The U.S. Presidency The U.S. Senate The U.S. Supreme Court Voting in Elections

Serving on a Jury

The City Council The City Mayor Serving on a Jury The St ate Governor The St ate Judicial Branch The St ate Legislative Branch

Serving on a Jury

Capstone Press – First Facts

Our Government

Learn about Our Government in this First Facts set. Each book takes readers on a fact-filled tour of the different branches of United States government. Children will learn how the national, local, and state governments all work together to make their lives better. RL: 2

DeGezelle

www.capstonepress.com Reinforced Library Binding

IL: K-3

by Terri DeGezelle

Our Government

Serving on a Jury by Terri DeGezelle

Consultant: David McCord Professor of Law, Drake Law School Director, American Judicature Society’s National Jury Center Des Moines, Iowa

Mankato, Minnesota

First Facts is published by Capstone Press, 151 Good Counsel Drive, P.O. Box 669, Mankato, Minnesota 56002. www.capstonepress.com Copyright © 2005 by Capstone Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Capstone Press, 151 Good Counsel Drive, P.O. Box 669, Dept. R, Mankato, Minnesota 56002. Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data DeGezelle, Terri, 1955– Serving on a jury / by Terri DeGezelle. p. cm.—(First facts. Our government) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7368-3686-1 (hardcover) ISBN 0-7368-5154-2 (paperback) 1. Jury—United States—Juvenile literature. 2. Verdicts—United States—Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series. KF8972.Z9D44 2005 347.73'752—dc22 2004010785 Summary: Describes the jury system, the trial process, and how a jury reaches a decision in a court case. Editorial Credits Christine Peterson, editor; Jennifer Bergstrom, set designer; Enoch Peterson, book designer; Jo Miller, photo researcher Photo Credits Capstone Press/Gary Sundermeyer, cover, 4–5, 6–7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14–15, 16, 17, 18–19; Karon Dubke, 20 (newspaper, cell phone); Kelly Garvin, 20 (TV) Photodisc, 20 (computer)

1 2 3 4 5 6 10 09 08 07 06 05

Table of Contents Court Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Jury Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Juries Decide Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Lawyers Help People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Judges Lead the Courts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Juries Follow Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Juries Make a Verdict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Juries Protect Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Amazing but True! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Hands On: Be a Jury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Read More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Internet Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Court Cases Courts are part of the U.S. government. Courts help solve legal problems called cases. Courts hold trials to decide cases. The U.S. Constitution gives citizens the right to a jury trial. A jury is a group of people who listen to the facts of a court case. Juries decide who is right. 4

5

Jury Members Jury members are chosen from local communities. In the United States, most juries have 12 members called jurors. Some juries have six members. Not everyone can serve on a jury. In most states, people must be 18 years old to be on a jury. They need to be U.S. citizens. They must speak English. 6

7

Juries Decide Cases All court cases have two sides. In a trial, the government or a plaintiff can bring a case against a defendant.

Courtroom Diagram

Juries decide cases about people, property, and laws. Some trials solve problems between people. In other trials, juries decide if someone broke a law. 8

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Lawyers Help People In court, lawyers ask witnesses to give facts about the case. Some lawyers help the defendant. Other lawyers work for the plaintiff. 10

Lawyers for each side show facts and items to prove their cases. They study laws. They question people who know about the case. 11

Judges Lead the Courts Judges are in charge of the courts. They answer questions about laws. Judges tell juries about the laws to help them decide a case. Judges make sure everyone follows court rules.

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Fun Fact! In the 1700s and 1800s, many judges went from town to town on horses to hear cases.

13

Juries Follow Rules Juries must follow court rules. Juries listen to both sides of a case. They can’t talk about the case with other people. Jurors can’t read or listen to news about the case. These rules help juries make fair decisions.

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Fact! In the United States, about 5 million people are called for jury service each year.

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Jury verdicts decide cases. A juror reads the verdict in court. The judge explains the jury’s decision and sets a sentence or punishment.

Juries Make a Verdict After facts are presented, jurors meet in private. They talk about the facts. Jury members vote on a verdict, or decision. 16

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Juries Protect Rights Serving on a jury is every citizen’s duty. In the United States, juries protect people’s right to a fair trial. Juries make sure that people are treated fairly in court.

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! e u r T t u b g Amazin Judges can order jurors to stay overnight in a hotel until the case is decided. Jurors stay in hotels to make sure they do not hear or read news about a case. Jurors can stay in hotels for a few days or many weeks. At the hotel, jurors can’t use computers or watch TV. They can’t read newspapers. They can’t use the telephone.

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Hands On: Be a Jury Jack and the Beanstalk is a popular story. You and your friends can be a jury and decide if Jack broke the law by taking the hen.

What You Need a copy of Jack and the Beanstalk a group of five or more friends

What You Do 1. Read the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. You can find the book at your school or public library. 2. Choose two friends to be the lawyers. One lawyer will try to prove that the hen belongs to the Giant. The other lawyer will try to show that the hen belongs to Jack. 3. The other friends will serve as the jury. 4. The first lawyer will talk about the story and tell how Jack took the hen. 5. The second lawyer then says why Jack is not guilty. 6. After the lawyers are done speaking, the jury talks about the facts and votes to decide the case. 7. One person on the jury then reads its verdict to the group.

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Glossary case (KAYSS)—a legal problem settled in court citizen (SIT-i-zuhn)—a member of a country, state, or city who has the right to live there constitution (con-stuh-TOO-shuhn)—the system of laws that state the rights of the people and the powers of the government defendant (di-FEN-duhnt)—the person in a court case who may have broken a law or caused a legal problem lawyer (LAW-yur)—a person who is trained to advise people about the law

De Capua, Sarah. Serving on a Jury: A True Book. A True Book. New York: Children’s Press, 2002. Schaefer, Lola M. Courthouse. Who Works Here? Chicago: Heinemann, 2001.

Internet Sites FactHound offers a safe, fun way to find Internet sites related to this book. All of the sites on FactHound have been researched by our staff.

trial (TRYE-uhl)—the court process to decide if a charge or claim is true

Here’s how: 1. Visit www.facthound.com 2. Type in this special code 0736836861 for age-appropriate sites. Or enter a search word related to this book for a more general search. 3. Click on the Fetch It button.

verdict (VUR-dikt)—the decision of a jury

FactHound will fetch the best sites for you!

plaintiff (PLANE-tif)—someone who brings a legal case against a defendant

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Read More

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Index cases, 4, 8–9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 20 citizens, 4, 7, 19 courts, 4, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19

plaintiffs, 8, 10

defendants, 8, 10

sentences, 17

facts, 4, 10, 11, 16

trials, 4, 8, 9, 19

government, 4, 8

U.S. Constitution, 4

judges, 12, 17, 20

verdicts, 16–17

laws, 9, 11, 12 lawyers, 10–11

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rights, 4, 19 rules, 12, 15

Juries decide verdicts in court cases. Learn how jurors are chosen for this important duty and what serving on a jury is like.

Titles in this set:

The U.S. House of Represent atives The U.S. Presidency The U.S. Senate The U.S. Supreme Court Voting in Elections

Serving on a Jury

The City Council The City Mayor Serving on a Jury The St ate Governor The St ate Judicial Branch The St ate Legislative Branch

Serving on a Jury

Capstone Press – First Facts

Our Government

Learn about Our Government in this First Facts set. Each book takes readers on a fact-filled tour of the different branches of United States government. Children will learn how the national, local, and state governments all work together to make their lives better. RL: 2

DeGezelle

www.capstonepress.com Reinforced Library Binding

IL: K-3

by Terri DeGezelle