Jury Ethics

Trial by jury is one of the most important aspects of the U.S. legal system. A reflective look at how juries actually function brings out a number of ethical questions surrounding juror conduct and jury dynamics: Do citizens have a duty to serve as jurors? Might they seek exemptions? Is it acceptable for jurors to engage in after-hours research? Might a juror legitimately seek to nullify the outcome to express disapproval of the law? Under what conditions might jurors make a valid choice to hold out against or capitulate to their fellow jurors? Is it acceptable to form alliances? After trial are there problems with entering into publishing contracts? Unfortunately questions such as these have received scant attention from scholars. This book revives attention to these and other issues of jury ethics by collecting new and insightful essays along with responses from leading scholars in the field of jury studies. Is it acceptable for jurors to engage in after-hours research? Might a juror legitimately seek to nullify the outcome to express disapproval of the law? After trial are there problems with entering into publishing contracts? Unfortunately questions such as these have received scant attention from scholars. This book revives attention to these and other issues of jury ethics by collecting new and insightful essays along with responses from leading scholars in the field of jury studies. Contributors: Jeffrey Abramson B. Michael Dann Shari Seidman Diamond Norman J. Finkel Paula Hannaford-Agor Valerie P. Hans Julie E. Howe Nancy J. King John Kleinig James P. Levine Candace McCoy G. Thomas Munsterman Maureen O'Connor Steven Penrod Alan W. Scheflin Neil Vidmar