Can a doctor be a juror?

Exempt. People may be exempt or have a right to claim exemption from jury service because of their employment. Those who can apply for exemption include doctors, dentists, clergy and emergency workers.

Why do lawyers excuse jurors?

If either lawyer believes there is information that suggests a juror is prejudiced about the case, he or she can ask the judge to dismiss that juror for cause. In effect, they allow a lawyer to dismiss a juror because of a belief that the juror will not serve the best interests of the client.

How do lawyers choose their jurors?

(See The Right to Trial by Jury.) Lawyers and judges select juries by a process known as “voir dire,” which is Latin for “to speak the truth.” In voir dire, the judge and attorneys for both sides ask potential jurors questions to determine if they are competent and suitable to serve in the case.

Where do juries work?

The jury system in NSW is administered by the Jury Services Branch of the Office of the Sheriff of New South Wales, operating in accordance with the Jury Act 1977 and Jury Amendment Act 2010.

Do Lawyers Research jurors?

Such research cannot include communicating with prospective jurors. California Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 5-320. Attorneys can do such research during trial to help craft more effective closing arguments and perhaps better cross examination. Counsel should closely supervise any staff that do such research.

Can police sit as jurors?

Certain classes of person, including police officers, prison officers and lawyers, are exempt by law from jury service while they are following those occupations. However, under the law as it stands, after their retirement they can, and do, serve on juries. They may tend to be uncritical of police evidence.

What is wrong with the jury system?

Juries are biased. Juries disregard the judge’s instructions or the law itself when reaching a verdict. Juries know too much about a case from media publicity to be able to render a fair judgment, or juries know too little and are unable to comprehend the issues in complex cases.

What if the jury is wrong?

If the judge determines that the amount awarded by the jury was inadequate, he or she can order an additur, which increases the amount of the jury’s verdict. If the party asking for review does not agree with the new figure, the judge will then order a new trial on the issue of damages only.

Why are lawyers not allowed on juries anymore?

Lawyers are not automatically excluded from juries anymore, as being called for jury duty is a right and a duty that the law abhors automatically excluding people from. That is the official line on this.

How many strikes can a lawyer have on a jury?

Each lawyer has a certain number of preemptory strikes (the ability to get rid of a juror for any reason, aside from those protected by law, such as race, religion, etc). They also have unlimited “for cause strikes,” which are when a juror is biased in some way.

Why do we fight over jury instruction?

The reason is this: when we fight over jury instruction, inherently, one of us will want an instruction that is hard to understand, for a lay person. This is because we want them to apply the law as it is commonly (mis)understood, not as it truly is, because that’s not good for our case.

Why does the judge want to kick a lawyer off?

The real reason that the lawyer from one side or the other definitely wants a lawyer off is that the jury instructions presented by each side to the judge are crafted in a way that each word carries specific meaning and, with that, is designed to lead to a certain way of thinking.