Jury service — an important job

AND A REWARDING EXPERIENCE

The right to trial by a jury of our fellow citizens is one of our most important rights and is guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States. By serving on a jury, then, you are helping to guarantee one of our most important freedoms.

Your job as a juror is to listen to all the evidence presented at trial and to 'decide the facts' — that is, to decide what really happened. The judge, on the other hand, 'decides the law' — that is, makes decisions on legal issues that come up during the trial. For example, the judge may have to decide whether you and the other jurors may hear certain evidence or whether one lawyer may ask a witness a certain question. You should not try to decide these legal issues, sometimes you will even be asked to leave the courtroom while they are being decided. Both your job and that of the judge must be done well if our system of trial by jury is to work. In order to do your job you do not need any special knowledge or ability. It is enough that you keep an open mind, concentrate on the evidence being presented, use your common sense, and be fair and honest. Finally, you should not be influenced by sympathy or prejudice: it is vital that you be impartial with regard to all people and all ideas.

Many jurors find that it is exciting to learn about this most important system 'from the inside', and challenging to deal fairly and thoroughly with the cases they hear. We hope that you, too, find your experience as a juror to be interesting and satisfying.

How You Were Chosen

Your name was selected at random from voter registration records and placed on a list of potential jurors. Next, your answers to the Questionnaire for Jurors were evaluated to make sure that you were eligible for jury service and were not exempt from service. To be eligible, you must be over 18 years of age, a citizen of the United States, a resident of the county in which you are to serve as a juror, able to communicate in the English language and if you have been convicted of a felony, you must have had your civil rights restored. People who meet these requirements may be excused from jury service if they have illnesses that would interfere with their ability to do a good job, would suffer great hardship if required to serve, or are unable to serve for some other reason.

You are here because you were found to be eligible for jury duty and were able to serve. You are now part of the 'jury pool', the group of people from which trial juries are chosen.

 

Exercise 1: Find in the text above the English equivalents for the following words and expressions:

1. показания
2. анкета для присяжных
3. списки избирателей
4. предубеждение
5. судебное разбирательство
6. вопросы права
7. фонд, резерв присяжных
8. сохранять объективность в подходе к вопросу, делу
9. освобождать от обязанностей присяжного
10. подходить для службы в жюри присяжных
11. заслушивать показания
12. исключать из состава присяжных
13. восстанавливать в гражданских правах
14. тщательно и беспристрастно рассматривать дело
15. удовлетворять требованиям

 

Exercise 2: Explain the meaning of the following words and expressions:

• fellow citizens

• evidence

• to decide the law

• to decide the facts

• courtroom

• common sense

• prejudice

• to be impartial

 

Exercise 3: Translate the following text into English, paying special attention to the words and expressions in bold type:

 

Требования, предъявляемые к присяжным заседателям.

 

В список присяжных заседателей не включаются лица:

- не внесенные в списки избирателей;

- не достигшие к моменту составления списков присяжных заседателей возраста 25 лет;

- имеющие неснятую или непогашенную судимость;

- признанные судом недееспособными.

 

Из списков присяжных заседателей исключаются:

- лица, не владеющие языком, на котором ведется судопроизводство в данной местности;

- немые, глухие, слепые и другие лица, являющиеся инвалидами;

- военнослужащие;

- судьи, прокуроры, следователи, адвокаты, нотариусы;

- священнослужители.

 

Exercise 4: The word EVIDENCE has the following meanings in Russian:

Доказательство

evidence at law — судебные доказательства

Показания

evidence for the defense — показания свидетелей защиты

Улики

evidence of crime — улики

Свидетельство

written evidence — письменное свидетельство

 

Exercise 5: Match the following English expressions with their Russian equivalents:

1. evidence in the case 2. evidence on oath 3. to give/offer/introduce/produce evidence 4. to plant evidence 5. to weigh evidence 6. to withhold evidence 7. evidence wrongfully obtained 8. evidence of guilt 9. circumstantial evidence 10. conclusive/decisive evidence 11. expert evidence 12. false evidence 13. first hand evidence 14. insufficient evidence 15. irrefutable evidence 16. perjured evidence 17. physical evidence

a) вещественное доказательство b) давать показания, представить доказательства c) доказательства вины; улики d) доказательства или показания по делу e) доказательства, показания, полученные с нарушением закона f) доказательство из первых рук g) заключение эксперта h) косвенное доказательство i) лжесвидетельство j) ложное доказательство k) недостаточное доказательство l) неопровержимое доказательство m) окончательное, решающее доказательство n) оценивать доказательства o) показания под присягой p) скрыть доказательства q) сфабриковать доказательства

 

Exercise 6: Study the following Juror's Excuseal/Postponement Form. Imagine that you are a juror not willing to perform your jury duty. Fill in the form stating your own reasons:

JUROR'S EXCUSAL/POSTPONEMENT FORM   You may be disqualified / exempt from Jury Duty for the reasons listed below by checking the appropriate item, or enter your request in the area provided   DISQUALIFICATIONS FOR JURY DUTY □ Convicted Felon (Civil Rights not Restored) □ Presently under prosecution for a crime □ Not a resident of_____ County □ Not a citizen of the United States   You may be EXEMPT from Jury Duty for reasons listed below □ 70 or older and wish to be temporarily excused □ 70 or older and wish to be permanently excused □ Physically unable (Doctor's note must be submitted) □ Parent, not employed full time with custody of child under age 6 □ Expectant Mother □ Served on Jury Duty in past 12 months □ Full-time law enforcement officer   I request to be excused or postponed because __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________   Any request for excusal or postponement must be received at least 7 days prior to your report date. You will be notified by mail regarding the status of your request and postponement date, if applicable. Phone number (Home and Work) _______________ _______________ ______________________ Signature

 

Text 3: Read the following text and write down Russian equivalents for the words and expressions in bold type:

SELECTION OF THE TRIAL JURY

JUROR'S OATH I do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will faithfully try the defendant and give a true verdict according to the evidence

The first step in the selection of the trial jury is the selection of a 'jury panel'. When you are selected for a jury panel you will be directed to report, along with other panel members, to a courtroom in which a case is to be heard once a jury is selected. The judge assigned to that case will tell you about the case and will introduce the lawyers and the people involved in the case.

You will also take an oath, by which you promise to answer all questions truthfully. Following this explanation of the case and the taking of the oath, the judge and the lawyers will question you and the other members of the panel to find out if you have any personal interest in it, or any feelings that might make it hard for you to be impartial. This process of questioning is called Voir Dire, a phrase meaning "to speak the truth".

Many of the questions the judge and lawyers ask you during Voir Dire may seem very personal to you, but you should answer them completely and honestly. Remember that the lawyers are not trying to embarrass you, but are trying to make sure that members of the jury do not have opinions or past experiences which might prevent them from making an impartial decision.

During Voir Dire the lawyers may ask the judge to excuse you or another member of the panel from sitting on the jury for this particular case. This is called challenging a juror. There are two types of challenges. The first is called a challenge for cause, which means that the lawyer has a specific reason for thinking that the juror would not be able to be impartial. For example, the case may involve the theft of a car. If one of the jurors has had a car stolen and still feels angry or upset about it, the lawyer for the person accused of the theft could ask that the juror be excused for that reason. There is no limit on the number of the panel members that the lawyers may have excused for cause.

The second type of challenge is called a peremptory challenge, which means that the lawyer does not have to state a reason for asking that the juror be excused. Like challenges for cause, peremptory challenges are designed to allow lawyers to do their best to assure that their clients will have a fair trial. Unlike challenges for cause, however, the number of peremptory challenges is limited.

Please try not to take offence if you are excused from serving on a particular jury. The lawyer who challenges you is not suggesting that you lack ability or honesty, merely that there is some doubt about your impartiality because of the circumstances of the particular case and your past experiences. If you are excused, you will either return to the juror waiting area and wait to be called for another panel or will be excused from service, depending on the local procedures in the county in which you live.

Those jurors who have not been challenged become the jury for the case. Depending on the kind of case, there will be either six or twelve jurors. The judge may also allow selection of one or more alternate jurors, who will serve if one of the jurors is unable to do so because of illness or some other reason.

 

Exercise 7: Find in the text above the English equivalents for the following words and expressions:

1. состав присяжных
2. отвод присяжного
3. мотивированный отвод
4. немотивированный отвод
5. присяжные, подобранные для судебного рассмотрения дела
6. присяжный запасного состава
7. принять присягу
8. принять беспристрастное решение
9. указать причину отвода
10. явиться в зал заседания

 

Exercise 8: The Russian expression СУДЕБНЫЙ ПРОЦЕСС has the following equivalents in English: