VOICES

“A jury too frequently have at least one member, more ready to hang the panel than to hang the traitor.”

Abraham Lincoln, 1863

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“Jurors who are opposed to capital punishment are more likely to believe that a defendant’s failure to testify is indicative of his guilt, more hostile to the insanity defense, more mistrustful of defense attorneys and less concerned about the danger of erroneous convictions.”

Thurgood Marshall, associate justice, U.S.Supreme Court, 1986

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“I would rather trust twelve jurors with all their prejudices and biases than I would a judge. I think the reason democracy works is because as you multiply judgements, you reduce the incidence of errors.”

Louis Nizer, lawyer, expert on 1st Amendment issues, 1978

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“The defendant wants to hide the truth because he’s generally guilty. The defense attorney’s job is to make sure the jury does not arrive at that truth.”

Alan M. Dershowitz, professor of law, Harvard, 1982

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“The jury system puts a ban upon intelligence and honesty, and a premium upon ignorance, stupidity, and perjury.”

Mark Twain, 1872

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“A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.”

Robert Frost, poet, 1939

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“The jury is a sort of ad hoc parliament convened from the citizenry at large to lend respectability and authority to the process. Any erosion of citizen participation is in the long run likely, in my view, to result in a reduction in the moral authority that supports the process.”

John J. Gibbons, federal appellate judge, 1980

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“While the jury can contribute nothing of value so far as the law is concerned, it has infinite capacity for mischief, for twelve men can easily misunderstand more law in a minute than the judge can explain in an hour.”

Jerome Frank, federal judge, 1948