fully informed jury association

Fully Informed Jury Association

andAmerican Jury Institute

Called for

Jury Duty?Some facts you should

know before you go...

Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Paine

1789, ME 7:408, Papers 15:269.

“I consider trial by jury as

the only anchor yet

imagined by man by

which a government can

be held to the principles

of its constitution.”

Our MissionOur mission is to inform all Americans

about their rights, authority, and responsibilities when serving as trial jurors.

Jurors must know that they have the option and the responsibility to render a verdict based on their conscience and on their sense of justice, as well as on the merits of the law.

The highest and best function of the jury is to protect fellow citizens from tyrannical prosecutions and bad laws unfairly imposed by government.

Why are Juries Important?

• Protect society from dangerous individuals

• Protect individuals from unjust

prosecutions

• Have a duty to render a just verdict

• Have an inalienable right to veto bad laws

• Cannot be punished for their verdict

Note: The principle of jury authority applies equally in criminal and civil cases

“The judge cannot direct a

verdict it is true, and the

jury has the power to

bring in a verdict in the

teeth of both law and

facts.” Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Horning v. District of

Columbia249 U.S. 596, 1920

What are Your

Duties as a Juror?

Your Duties as a Juror

Appear for jury duty when you are called

Your participation and your verdict will have an impact on the life of the defendant and on all of your community

Your Duties as a Juror

• Pay attention to all witnesses and evidence

• Listen respectfully to fellow jurors• Vote your conscience, even if you

are the only juror who believes in your verdict

• Render a just verdictDo not change your verdict if you are pressured by fellow jurors or a judge

Rendering a Just Verdict

Take into account…•Defendant is innocent until proven guilty•The facts of the case•Credibility of witnesses and evidence•Mitigating circumstances•Fairness of the law•Fairness of the law’s application in this trial

“One may… ask: "How can you advocate

breaking some laws and obeying

others?" The answer lies in the fact

that there [are] two types of laws: just

and unjust… One has not only a legal

but a moral responsibility to obey just

laws. Conversely, one has a moral

responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I

would agree with St. Augustine that

‘an unjust law is no law at all.’ ”

Martin Luther King, Jr."Letter from Birmingham Jail”

Why We Can't Wait, April 16, 1963

Jurors are Representatives of the People

•Hold no personal or political agenda

•Have no stake in the trial outcome

•Serve as the conscience of the

community

Jurors are Representatives of the People

•The only truly objective individuals in a

courtroom

•Serve as a check and balance on all

branches of government

•Last peaceful defense of our civil

liberties

John Adams 1771 2 Life and Works of John

Adams253-255 C.F. Adams ed. 1856

“It is not only (the juror's) right,

but his duty... to find the verdict

according to

his own best understanding,

judgment, and conscience, even

though in direct opposition to the

direction of the court.”

What Does FIJA/AJI Do?

•Maintains educational website www.fija.org

•Publishes educational literature and commentary and essays•Presents Amicus briefs when the authority of the jury is at issue•Provides interviews to the media•Speaks at functions and in classrooms

How Can I Get More Information?

Call 1-800-TEL-JURY for your free jury information packet•Visit our website:

www.fija.org•Send us a note

P.O. Box 5570, Helena MT, 59604aji@fija.org

•Contact your local representativehttp://www.fija.org/state%20coordinators.htm

What Can I Do to Help?

• Appear for jury duty when you are called

• Learn more about the role of the jury• Share this information with your

friends and neighbors• Volunteer for jury education projects in

your state and community• Spread the word at every opportunity • Support us with your contribution

What Can I Do to Help?Mail your contributions to:

FIJA/AJIPO Box 5570Helena, MT 59604

Contribute online through our secure site:http://www.fija.org/support_liberty_now%21.htm

The Authority of the Jury is

the Right that Protects all

Other Rights

The Fully Informed Jury Association and American Jury Institute (FIJA/AJI) is a nonpartisan public policy research and education organization located in Helena,

Montana. FIJA/AJI focuses on issues involving the role of the jury in our justice system and the preservation of the full function of the jury as the final arbiter in

our courts of law. The FIJA/AJI mission is to inform all Americans about their rights, authority, and responsibilities when serving as trial

jurors. Jurors have both the authority and the obligation to render a verdict based on conscience, and retain the right to nullify bad law and misapplied laws.

FIJA/AJI works to restore the political function of the jury as the final check and balance on our American system of government.

To ensure public understanding of the power and function of the jury, FIJA/AJI hosts conferences and educational seminars. FIJA/AJI publishes an extensive variety of educational and research literature, and answers queries from the

public, scholars and legal professionals. As well, FIJA/AJI officers are often featured speakers and guest commentators in the press, where they discuss

cases in which jury selection, information, or jury instructions had a significant role in the outcome of the case.

To maintain its independence, FIJA/AJI accepts no government funding. FIJA/AJI programs and publications are possible because of generous contributions

received from individual donors, foundations, and corporations. FIJA/AJI generates revenue through seminar fees and the sale of FIJA/AJI publications and materials. FIJA/AJI is a public policy nonprofit, tax-exempt educational foundation

under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Fully Informed Jury Association

and American Jury Institute

1-800-TEL-JURYwww.fija.org