Fully Informed Jury
Association
and
American Jury Institute
Called for
Jury Duty?
Some facts you should know
before you go...
“I consider trial by jury as the
only anchor yet imagined by
man by which a government
can be held to the principles of
its constitution.”
Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Paine
1789, ME 7:408, Papers 15:269.
Our Mission
Our mission is to inform all Americans about
their rights, authority, and responsibilities
when serving as trial jurors.
Jurors must know that they have the option
and the responsibility to render a verdict
based on their conscience and on their sense
of justice, as well as on the merits of the law.
The highest and best function
of the jury is to protect fellow citizens
from tyrannical prosecutions and bad
laws unfairly imposed by government.
Why are Juries Important?
• Protect society from dangerous individuals
• Protect individuals from unjust prosecutions
• Have a duty to render a just verdict
• Have an inalienable right to veto bad laws
• Cannot be punished for their verdict
Note: The principle of jury authority applies equally in criminal and civil cases
“The judge cannot direct a verdict
it is true, and the jury has the
power to bring in a verdict in
the teeth of both law and facts.”
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes
Horning v. District of Columbia
249 U.S. 596, 1920
What are
Your Duties
as a Juror?
Your Duties as a Juror
Appear for jury duty when you are called
Your participation and your
verdict will have an impact on
the life of the defendant and
on all of your community
Your Duties as a Juror
• Pay attention to all witnesses and evidence
• Listen respectfully to fellow jurors
• Vote your conscience, even if you are the
only juror who believes in your verdict
• Render a just verdict
Do not change your verdict if you are
pressured by fellow jurors or a judge
Rendering a Just Verdict
Take into account…
•Defendant is innocent until proven guilty
•The facts of the case
•Credibility of witnesses and evidence
•Mitigating circumstances
•Fairness of the law
•Fairness of the law’s application in this trial
“One may… ask: "How can you advocate breaking
some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in
the fact that there [are] two types of laws: just and
unjust… One has not only a legal but a moral
responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one
has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.
I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust
law is no law at all.’ ”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Why We Can't Wait, April 16, 1963
Jurors are Representatives of the People
•Hold no personal or political agenda
•Have no stake in the trial outcome
•Serve as the conscience of the community
Jurors are Representatives of the People
•The only truly objective individuals in a courtroom
•Serve as a check and balance on all branches of
government
•Last peaceful defense of our civil liberties
“It is not only (the juror's) right, but his
duty... to find the verdict according to
his own best understanding, judgment,
and conscience, even though in direct
opposition to the direction of the court.”
John Adams
1771 2 Life and Works of John Adams
253-255 C.F. Adams ed. 1856
What Does FIJA/AJI Do?
•Maintains educational website
www.fija.org
•Publishes educational literature and
commentary and essays
•Presents Amicus briefs when the authority
of the jury is at issue
•Provides interviews to the media
•Speaks at functions and in classrooms
How Can I Get More Information?
Call 1-800-TEL-JURY for your free jury
information packet
•Visit our website:
www.fija.org
•Send us a note
P.O. Box 5570, Helena MT, 59604
aji@fija.org
•Contact your local representative
http://www.fija.org/state%20coordinators.htm
What Can I Do to Help?
• Appear for jury duty when you are called
• Learn more about the role of the jury
• Share this information with your friends and
neighbors
• Volunteer for jury education projects in your state
and community
• Spread the word at every opportunity
• Support us with your contribution
What Can I Do to Help?
Mail your contributions to:
FIJA/AJI
PO Box 5570
Helena, MT 59604
Contribute online through our secure site:
http://www.fija.org/support_liberty_now%21.htm
The Authority of
the Jury is the
Right that Protects
all Other Rights
The Fully Informed Jury Association and American Jury Institute (FIJA/AJI) is a nonpartisan public
policy research and education organization located in Helena, Montana. FIJA/AJI focuses on issues
involving the role of the jury in our justice system and the preservation of the full function of the jury
as the final arbiter in our courts of law. The FIJA/AJI mission is to inform all Americans about their
rights, authority, and responsibilities when serving as trial
jurors. Jurors have both the authority and the obligation to render a verdict based on conscience, and
retain the right to nullify bad law and misapplied laws. FIJA/AJI works to restore the political function
of the jury as the final check and balance on our American system of government.
To ensure public understanding of the power and function of the jury, FIJA/AJI hosts conferences and
educational seminars. FIJA/AJI publishes an extensive variety of educational and research literature,
and answers queries from the public, scholars and legal professionals. As well, FIJA/AJI officers are
often featured speakers and guest commentators in the press, where they discuss cases in which jury
selection, information, or jury instructions had a significant role in the outcome of the case.
To maintain its independence, FIJA/AJI accepts no government funding. FIJA/AJI programs and
publications are possible because of generous contributions received from individual donors,
foundations, and corporations. FIJA/AJI generates revenue through seminar fees and the sale of
FIJA/AJI publications and materials. FIJA/AJI is a public policy nonprofit, tax-exempt educational
foundation under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Fully Informed Jury
Association
and
American Jury Institute
1-800-TEL-JURY
www.fija.org