petit jury
Definition
Noun: A petit jury is a trial jury, typically composed of 12 citizens, whose duty is to hear the evidence presented in a court of law and determine the facts of a case. It delivers a verdict of guilty or not guilty in criminal proceedings, or finds for the plaintiff or defendant in civil proceedings.
Usage
The term is used specifically in legal contexts to distinguish the trial jury from the grand jury. It refers to the group of people sworn to render a verdict based on the evidence they hear during a trial. - The defense attorney presented his case to the petit jury. - Selection of the petit jury took two full days. - The judge instructed the petit jury on the relevant laws before deliberation.
Advanced Usage
- "to serve on a petit jury": To fulfill one's civic duty as a member of a trial jury.
- All citizens may be called to serve on a petit jury.
- "petit jury deliberation": The process where the jury discusses the case in private to reach a verdict.
- After a week-long trial, the petit jury deliberation lasted only three hours.
Variants and Related Words
- Trial jury (n): A direct synonym for petit jury.
- Petty jury (n): An older, less common variant spelling of petit jury.
- Grand jury (n): A larger jury that determines whether there is enough evidence to bring criminal charges (indictment) to trial, in contrast to a petit jury which decides guilt or innocence at the trial itself.
Synonyms
- Trial jury: The group that hears a case in court.
- Jury of one's peers: A common phrase emphasizing that the jury is composed of ordinary citizens.
Related Phrases
- To be sequestered: Refers to when a petit jury is isolated from the public to prevent outside influence during a trial.
- The petit jury was sequestered for the high-profile murder case.
- To hang a jury: When a petit jury cannot reach a unanimous verdict (in criminal cases) or the required majority (in some civil cases), resulting in a mistrial.
- A single holdout can hang a jury.
Noun
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a jury of 12 to determine the facts and decide the issue in civil or criminal proceedings
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