Definition

Noun: A legal system for determining the facts at issue in a lawsuit. It is a method of trial where a group of ordinary citizens (the jury) is selected to hear the evidence presented in a court case and to decide the factual questions based on that evidence. The judge instructs the jury on the relevant law, but the jury applies that law to the facts it finds.

Usage

The term "jury system" refers to the institutional framework and process of using juries within a judicial system. * The right to a trial by jury is a cornerstone of the jury system in many common law countries. * Scholars debate the effectiveness and fairness of the jury system in complex civil cases.

Examples

• The country's constitution guarantees the jury system for serious criminal offenses.
• Reforms to the jury system aimed to reduce the length of trials.
• A key feature of the adversarial jury system is that lawyers present evidence directly to the lay jurors.

Advanced Usage

• "to be tried under the jury system": to have one's case decided by a jury.
  • The defendant chose to be tried under the jury system rather than by a judge alone.
• Critique/Discussion: The term is often used in academic or policy discussions about legal institutions.
  • The article presents a comparative analysis of the European inquisitorial system and the Anglo-American jury system.

Variants and Related Words

• Jury (n): The group of people sworn to render a verdict in a trial.
• Juror (n): A single member of a jury.
• Jury trial (n): A trial conducted before a judge and a jury.
• Jury duty (n): The civic obligation to serve on a jury.

Synonyms

• Trial by jury
• Jury trial process

Related Phrases

• Right to a jury trial: The constitutional or legal entitlement to have a case decided by a jury.
• Jury selection: The process of choosing jurors for a specific case.
• Jury verdict: The formal decision issued by a jury.

Noun

1. a legal system for determining the facts at issue in a law suit