To some people, 1995 will be remembered as the year of the O.J. Simpson trial. That trial kept millions of people glued to their television sets.
But the Simpson murder those millions the importance of a jury's job. The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees Simpson and every other American a fair trial by a jury.
In most cases, 12 members of a jury decide the guilt or innocence of someone accused of a crime. Being a juror is a privilege as well as a duty. "It's exciting to be a juror," says psychologist Valerie Hans, author of Judging the Jury. "It's a way citizens can help keep our legal system responsible."
Trials are rarely as long and dramatic as the Simpson case. Most trials don't involve a famous defendant. A trial usually lasts less than a week. And few are on TV.
For instance, the upcoming trial of a woman accused of murdering the singer Selena will not be on TV. Neither will the trial of two men accused of bombing a building in Oklahoma City last April and causing 169 deaths. The judges in those cases decided that the presence of TV cameras might affect the jurors' ability to make a fair decision.
A Jury Of Peers
Who gets to be a juror? Well, look around you. Jurors are everyday grownups from your city or town. That's what the American legal system calls a "jury of your peers."
Today most citizens old enough to vote who have not been convicted of a major crime may be called for jury duty. Lawyers and the judge in each case decide which of those called for duty will actually serve on a jury. "You have a right to be judged by people who understand where you're coming from," says Steven Penrod, professor of psychology and law at the University of Nebraska.
The jury for the Selena murder trial was chosen last week. The judge decided to move the trial away from Corpus Christi, Texas--Selena's hometown. Lawyers in the Oklahoma City case also asked that the trial be held in another town. In such cases, lawyers fear that local people might be close to the victims or accused criminals and may not be fair jurors.
An Important Job
Jurors are paid a fee according to their state's rules (up to $50 a day). It's like having a job. When their day in court is over, they go home. In a few cases, jurors are sequestered. That means they stay in hotels, away from TV, newspapers, their families and anything or anyone else that might influence their opinion of the case. The Simpson jurors spent 266 nights sequestered during the trial!
Throughout a case, the judge gives jurors instructions on their duties. After the jurors have heard all the evidence, the judge asks them to agree on a verdict, or decision about the case.
Alex Rosenberg, 13, remembers that it wasn't all fun when he served on a make-believe jury at Temple Emanuel Hebrew School in Massachusetts last year. "We were nervous," says Rosenberg. "You think about how everything is really important."
In the Simpson trial, Judge Lance Ito told the jurors, "Consider all the evidence. Apply the law as I have instructed you, and reach a verdict." And now the world knows what that jury decided.