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Simple English definitions for legal terms
jury of one's peers
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A quick definition of jury of one's peers:
Definition: When someone is accused of a crime, they have the right to be judged by a group of people who are like them, called a jury of their peers. This means that the jury should not have any biases or prejudices that could affect their decision. Both sides in the case can choose some jurors to be removed if they think they might be biased. This is to make sure that the decision is fair and just.
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: In criminal cases, the defendant has the right to a jury of their peers at trial. This means that the jury should be made up of ordinary citizens who are similar to the defendant in terms of age, gender, race, and other characteristics. The purpose of this is to ensure that the jury's verdict is not influenced by biases that jurors may have before hearing the evidence.
For example, if a young African American man is accused of a crime, his jury should be made up of other young African American citizens. This is to ensure that the jury is not biased against him because of his race or age.
This right is guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states that "the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury." This means that the jury should be fair and unbiased, and should not have any preconceived notions about the defendant or the case.
During the jury selection process, either party can use a peremptory challenge to exclude potentially biased jurors. This means that they can ask the judge to remove a juror from the pool without giving a reason.