THE JUROR'S JOB

A jury is made up of people who take time out from their regular routines to perform one of the highest duties of U.S. citizenship.

- Danielle Olander

"I consider trial by jury," Thomas Jefferson said, "as the only anchor ever yet imagined by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution." 

Trial by jury has been around for hundreds of years. England's Magna Carta (1215 A.D.) mentions a form of jury trial. But it wasn't until the 1600s that the accused were given the right to a trial by jury to safeguard their rights. In response to the Stamp Act of 1765, which denied violators in the American Colonies a trial by jury, the Stamp Act Congress stated: "[T]rial by jury is the inherent and invaluable right of every British subject in these colonies."

All state constitutions guarantee this right, which dates back to the 13 Original Colonies. In 1791, the Bill of Rights made it the law of the land in the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution: "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed." But how are jurors selected? What is jury duty like? I recently discovered the answers to these questions.

Similar to other U.S. citizens who are registered voters with driver's licenses or state identification cards, I was eligible to serve on a jury. When I received a summons in the mail to report for jury duty, I made a note of the date and cleared my calendar. People who fail to answer a summons can be held in contempt of court and face punishment or legal action against them. Employers are required to allow their workers to report for jury duty without penalties to them.