"Never forget, almost every case has been won or lost when the jury is sworn." - Clarence Darrow 1936
"The change of a single juror in the composition of the jury could change the result." - Ter Keurst v. Miami Elevator Co., 486 So. 2d 547 (Fla. 1986), Justice Adkins, Dissenting
"Trial by jury is the best of all safeguards for the person and property of every individual." - Thomas Jefferson
The Harris Corporation released a poll on jury duty yesterday. Harris Poll on Jury Duty. The poll contains some interesting findings on who is most likely to show up for jury duty and actually end up serving on a jury. It also shows that Americans, by a factor of 2 to 1, would trust a jury more than a judge to arrive at a fair verdict in a case. Sadly, […]
January 22, 2008
Last week, in Algie v. Lennar Corp., 969 So. 2d 1135 (Fla 4th DCA 2007) the 4th District Court of Appeal reversed a defense verdict in a slip and fall case. A juror had told the lawyers during jury selection that although he wouldn’t have any problem “serving fairly” if chosen, he believed that in every slip and fall case the person who slips and falls is at least partially responsible. The juror […]
November 19, 2007
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of Florida adopted several new rules and jury instructions that pertain to juries during jury trials in Florida. In Re: Amendments to Rules 967 So. 2d 178 (Fla 2007). These new rules, which become effective on January 1, 2008, codify and expand some of the rights afforded to jurors in the “Juror’s Bill of Rights” passed by the Florida legislature in 1999. The new rules […]
October 30, 2007
Meet Erin – the blogging juror. Right now she is serving on a jury somewhere. Or at least she was last Tuesday and Wednesday. Erin has a blog, and she posted her thoughts about jury duty on her blog last week while she was on the jury: “yeah somebody actually put me on a jury. I guess I will probably be juror number eight, blowing everybody’s minds with charisma and excessive knowledge of forensic […]
October 7, 2007
During jury selection a potential juror stated she “did not think she could focus on the trial.” Both sides agreed she should be stricken for cause. But the trial judge refused to strike her, and she ended up on the jury. (This alone would probably have resulted in a quick reversal of any verdict). However, after the first day of testimony, the woman raised her hand (she obviously REALLY didn’t […]
September 14, 2007
Enter your information below to subscribe to The Jury Selection Blog and receive instant notification of new cases and cutting-edge techniques.
