Why Jury Duty Matters

"This book will help us all move beyond feeling jury service is solely a duty. These well-written pages clearly demonstrate jury service is a privilege and that a jury summons is an admission ticket to very special higher learning. The book should inspire important citizen reflections both at the courthouse and at our kitchen tables." Judge Gregory E. Mize, Judicial Fellow, National Center for State Courts "Every year thousands of American citizens are summoned for the important civic duty of serving on a jury. What is their role, why is it a duty, and why is it so important? This unique and highly readable book is addressed to a lay audience. It will be useful for those citizens who have served on juries, for those who will someday be called to serve, and, indeed, for anyone who has an inquisitive mind about a crucial part of our legal system. Author Andrew Guthrie Ferguson lucidly describes the history of the jury and explains why juries play such a critical role in the contemporary American system of justice. Copies should be placed in the jury assembly rooms of every courthouse." Neil Vidmar, Russell M. Robinson II Professor of Law, Duke University School of Law "Andrew Ferguson has written an inspiring book-addressed to every American-to explain why serving as a juror is vital to our democracy. He masterfully weaves the jury process with constitutional principles showing how the jury puts these principles into everyday practice. Ferguson's book will transform readers from reluctant citizens into responsible jurors. Every court should give prospective jurors a copy of this book so that they will understand the jury's integral role in our democracy." Nancy S. Marder, Director of the Jury Center, Chicago-Kent College of Law "Ferguson, a veteran lawyer and law professor, outlines the importance of the jury in the legal system, how the right to trial by jury helped push the American Revolution forward, and how civil rights advances that created a more balanced jury pool have resulted in fairer trials for all...the dedicated and wonk-minded will learn a great deal about our legal system." - Publishers Weekly