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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, [email protected]
•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