Do Jurors Become Better Citizens?

By Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, The Huffington Post

"What if jury service made you a better citizen? New social science research on juries and democratic engagement makes exactly that argument. Like an immunity boost for our civic constitution, jury service appears to ward off civic apathy." Read full article...

The Joy of Jury Duty

By Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, The Atlantic

"How can one appreciate an obligation? This is a question approximately 30 million Americans don't ask every year when they receive their jury summons because they are too busy grumbling about this core constitutional responsibility of citizenship. This is also a question of growing importance as courts are struggling to find enough jurors for trials." Read full article...

Judge Extols Wisom of Juries

By Michael H O'Donnell, Idaho State Journal

"During his 27 years as a judge, Winmill said he has developed deep respect for the wisdom of juries and the effectiveness of trial by jury which Alexander Hamilton called the “safeguard to liberty.” Read full article...

Twelve Absent Men

By Albert W. Dzur, Boston Review

"...We are out of practice. Lay citizens no longer have opportunities to play decisive roles in our justice system. Judicial business is handled every day in most courthouses, but weeks can pass without a jury being empanelled." Read full article...

A Jury of Whose Peers?

By Bill Keller, The New York Times

"...Let’s take a short break from the dismaying spectacle of everything Washington and celebrate one feature of American democracy that still pretty much works. I refer to jury duty, which, since the abolition of the draft and aside from taxes, is the most arduous chore that comes with government by the people." Read full article...

A bedrock of democracy, juries vanishing

By Tom Crosley, San Antonio Express-News

"...the data from countless studies suggest that juries are not just effective — they're superior to other forms of decision-making." Read full article...

Jury duty and the inconvenience of being a citizen

By Dan Rodricks, The Baltimore Sun

"When you think about it, we're not asked to do that much as citizens — separate trash from recyclables and set them on the curb, vote every couple of years, pay our taxes on time, sit on a jury once in a great while (more frequently if you live in the city) to help the justice system provide fair trials for defendants." Read full article...