Word: juror
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1960-1969
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...districts broadened the eligibility requirements to include people who were once exempt. Lawyers, doctors, nurses and a few other groups, who were usually excluded in the past, may now be excused on request but may choose to serve if they wish to. By raising the juror's fee from $10 to $20 a day (and $16 a night for those who travel long distances and must stay overnight), the courts also implied that they would no longer excuse many persons who claim that jury duty is a financial burden. Even women have lost some of the special status...
...when a verdict is directed by a judge, what to do about a dissenting juror like Boston's Claude Solana? His totally unexpected protest tempted Judge Lurie to hold him in contempt of court. But as Thomas Lambert of the American Trial Lawyers Association notes, "the glory of the jury is its beautiful lawlessness." It represents "the yeasty independence of the average man over officialdom." Perhaps mindful of such thoughts, Judge Lurie decided to give Solana the benefit of his doubt. He declared a mistrial and will start all over again with a new jury...
...there was only one formality left. The clerk intoned: "Mr. Foreman and members of the jury, hearken to your verdict. The jury finds for the defendant by order of the court. So say you, Mr. Foreman? So say you all, members of the jury?" To everyone's astonishment, Juror Claude Solana said...
After a few minutes, the state attorney passed a note to the bench: "The No. 1 juror is either ill or under the influence. He has not opened his eyes since coming into the courtroom." The astounded judge had Shead awakened. Then he angrily declared a mistrial and sentenced the surprised juror to 30 days for contempt of court. Shead was immediately packed off to the county jail, and last week the judge ordered a hearing to determine whether he should be transferred to an alcoholic rehabilitation center...
Numbing Facts. From the outset, the reader is assailed with statistics and parenthetical goodies. People who have hired lawyers usually think less well of the profession than people who have not. A juror may not take notes in most courts; he might become too influential in the jury room, and there is no way to control the accuracy of his notes. The U.S. has 300,000 lawyers-far more both proportionately and absolutely than any other country. Surprisingly, they average only $13,000 a year. Contrary to the big-city lawyer image, almost 50% of U.S. lawyers practice in cities...