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Andrew G. Ferguson

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Why Jury Duty Matters: A Citizen’s Guide to Constitutional Action Kindle Edition

by Andrew Guthrie Ferguson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.6 18 ratings

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An argument for the constitutional responsibility to participate in jury duty

It’s easy to forget how important the jury really is to America. The right to be a juror is one of the fundamental rights guaranteed to all eligible citizens. The right to trial by jury helped spark the American Revolution, was quickly adopted at the Constitutional Convention, and is the only right that appears in both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. But for most of us, a jury summons is an unwelcome inconvenience. Who has time for jury duty? We have things to do.

In Why Jury Duty Matters, Andrew Guthrie Ferguson reminds us that whether we like it or not, we are all constitutional actors. Jury duty provides an opportunity to reflect on that constitutional responsibility. Combining American history, constitutional law, and personal experience, the book engages citizens in the deeper meaning of jury service. Interweaving constitutional principles into the actual jury experience, this book is a handbook for those Americans who want to enrich the jury experience. It seeks to reconnect ordinary citizens to the constitutional character of a nation by focusing on the important, and largely ignored, democratic lessons of the jury.

Jury duty is a shared American tradition. It connects people across class and race, creates habits of focus and purpose, and teaches values of participation, equality, and deliberation. We know that juries are important for courts, but we don’t know that jury service is important for democracy. This book inspires us to re-examine the jury experience and act on the constitutional principles that guide our country before, during, and after jury service.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Jury duty is a phrase sure to elicit eye rolls and groans from those summoned to service. Still, it remains one of our most important roles to fulfill as citizens and a right that people have valued since the middle ages. 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 subject of jury duty is a dry one and while Ferguson does his best to elevate the topic, he can't make it a compelling one unless the reader is already actively interested in the jury portion of the legal process. While the book is definitely written for laypeople in terms of prose style, it requires an enthusiastic ear. Though this book will lose the attention of most readers, the dedicated and wonk-minded will learn a great deal about our legal system.

Review

"In any event, kudos to Andrew for his important work and great example in making legal scholarship more relevant." ― Prawf's Blawg

"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

"As attorneys we learned the constitutional basis for jury trails in law school. Those of us who work in litigation know and understand the importance of juries to our court system, but probably few of us have considered the importance of jury duty to us as citizens. Now a law professor at the University of the District of Columbia, Ferguson wrote Why Jury Duty Matters, for those called to serve as jurors. It is an explanation of the importance of jury duty to us as citizens, how it enables us to participate in democratic government." ― The Daily Journal

"[I]f citizenship matters for jury duty eligibility we need to ask ourselves why it matters. It's not an easy question to resolve, but like jury service, it is a job that only 'we the people' can do." -- Andrew Guthrie Ferguson ― The Atlantic

"[A]n insightful and beautifully written account of jury service that speaks to the prospective juror in all of us, while at the same time offering lessons in the history and constitutional significance of the jury that will be enlightening for lawyers and lay readers alike...Ferguson provides an inspiration primer for jury service. Beyond his deep insight into every aspect of juror's service, [his] overriding optimism and palpable reverence for the jury as an institution are powerful enough to make even the most skeptical reader view their next jury summons in an entirely new light." ― The Champion

"This is a brilliant and motivating plea to please serve when summoned." -- Ralph Nader

"what might be the most earnest book that's come across my desk in years" -- Dan Rodricks

"Where would we find a large and regularly available group of citizens with time to discuss the importance of citizenship with aspiring citizens? Perhaps, we need look no further than jury waiting rooms all across the country. In those rooms, millions of Americans wait for the opportunity to serve on a jury." -- Andrew Guthrie Ferguson ― American Constitution Society

"Summoned for jury duty? This is the book for you!-Greta Van Susteren" ― Fox News

"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

"Ferguson seeks to capture the attention of a broader audience, and does so through a personal and scholarly approach that is adequate to understanding the judicial, and more broadly, constitutional system of self-governance. Summing Up: Recommended." -- J. Michael Bitzer ― CHOICE

"Andrew Guthrie Ferguson reminds us that whether we like it or not, we are all constitutional actors. Jury duty provides an opportunity to reflect on that constitutional responsibility." ― LA Daily Journal

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"Andrew Ferguson has written an inspiring bookaddressed to every Americanto 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. Fergusons 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 jurys integral role in our democracy.

" -- Nancy S. Marder,Professor of Law and Director of the Jury Center, Chicago-Kent College of Law

"An investigation and celebration of what we so often rue: jury duty. Former public defender Ferguson (Law/Univ. of the District of Columbia) takes jury duty seriously but not in an admonitory, finger-wagging sense. He wants readers to appreciate the brilliance of the jury process as civic engagement, an act of public virtue, due process and accountability. Ferguson witnesses the process daily, and he serves it forth here to readers with enthusiasm: I watch as constitutional ideals such as civic participation, deliberation, fairness, equality, liberty, accountability, freedom of conscience, and the common good come alive through the practice of ordinary citizens. In each chapter, the author takes a constitutionally grounded principal and shows how it applies to jury duty. Jury participation teaches the skills required for democratic self-governance, it acquaints jurors with the rule of law and it promotes the equality of ideas. Ferguson is an artful booster for community involvement and social connection and an advocate for the ability to challenge any perceived infringement of rights; a copy of the Constitution is always ready at his hand. This is a book that makes you feel good about a system that requires this type of participation, in which we must reflect with clarity on the guilt or innocence of an individual. A genuine encouragement that speaks to the role juries play in our constitutional structure." ― Kirkus Reviews

"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. The book can also be a useful supplement for high school civics courses." -- Neil Vidmar,Russell M. Robinson II Professor of Law, Duke University School of Law

"Serving on a jury is at the heart of what it means to be American....And juries are the embodiment of democracy--12 citizens each have a vote, with the results deciding a citizen's fate." -- Andrew Guthrie Ferguson ― Bottom Line-Personal

"Former public defender Ferguson (law, Univ. of the District of Columbia; coauthor, Youth Justice in America) offers an inspiring perspective on jury duty. Using a combination of personal narrative, political science, and American history, he moves beyond the simple argument that jury duty is a civic responsibility and something to be endured for the good of the justice system. Instead, Ferguson situates jury duty as an opportunity for citizens to exercise foundational American values such as fairness, equality, participation, deliberation, and liberty. Jury duty brings together people from different races and different classes on equal footing. He explains that through service on a jury, a person can practice skills that are valuable for citizenship. VERDICT: Ferguson presents a new kind of handbook for potential jurors. Accessible and easy to read, the book is written for the average citizen who might be called to serve on a jury.Rachel Bridgewater, Portland Community Coll. Lib., OR." ― Library Journal

"Professor Andrew Guthrie Ferguson's Why Jury Duty Matters: A Citizen's Guide to Constitutional Actionshould be read by every adult in this nation and by every youth before reaching 18 years of age, not only for its historical content, but for its message that jury service by every eligible person is critical to protecting the life and liberty of every person living in the United States and protects the individual from the tyranny of government." -- Judge Arthur L. Burnett Sr. ― Criminal Justice

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00AIPU71O
Publisher ‏ : ‎ NYU Press (December 17, 2012)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 17, 2012
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4144 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 254 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #2,402,564 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #59 in Juries (Kindle Store)
- #165 in Juries (Books)
- #315 in Civil Law Procedure (Kindle Store)

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4.6 18 ratings

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Andrew G. Ferguson

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Law professor, jury scholar, jury evangelical who believes jury duty is constitution duty. Professor Ferguson teaches and writes about criminal law, criminal procedure, and evidence.

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Not Bob

A Call to Service

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2014

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Even though most Americans seem to groan at the thought of a jury summons arriving in the mail, most seem to appreciate the importance of the role of the jury in the justice system and consider it important. In Why Jury Duty Matters, the author explains the origins, purpose, and importance of the jury in modern America.

The book is mainly a guide to educate Americans on why they should take jury duty seriously and its importance in the judiciary. He lays out several arguments in favor of the jury trial. For example, he notes that judges and lawyers often become used to the courtroom and the day-to-day realities of the job, but for each and every trial, the jury is unique. Each jury can take on a fresh look at the case when rendering a verdict. The main purpose of juries is to form a check on state power by giving average citizens the ultimate power to give a judgment in a trial. The book notes that jurors usually work hard to come to a fair conclusion and how multiple personalities offer different viewpoints on the same subject.

The author notes that historically the jury system was subject to issues. Especially in southern states, African Americans were often denied the right to serve on juries and, conversely, all-white juries would sometimes unfairly convict innocent blacks of crimes. Women were often denied the right to serve on juries as well for some time. The author notes that even today the jury system, like any other human institution, is not perfect and sometimes comes up with disagreeable results. Nevertheless, he offers much praise for the institution and how it offers average Americans a role to play in government.

I found this book to be an interesting overview of the importance of jury service. This is a good book for Americans to read to remind them of its importance and hopefully foster a greater respect for those that serve on juries.

2 people found this helpful

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Tawana

A Must Read For Every Citizen

Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2013

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When I got a notice to report for jusry duty in Washington, DC Surperior Court I of course dreaded the prospect of sitting around all day with a bunch of strangers. And with the District one day or one trial I was also hopping not to be selected for a jury. I decided to get this book to read. It had an interesting title and while I kind of knew why it mattered I had the day so why not read the book. It was an eye opening book. I reccomend that every US citizen read this book or at the very least they make copies of this book available in every jury waiting room in the country. The author bring to crystal clearity the historical context of our jury system and why it needs to held in very high esteem by everyone. There are many things we take for granted as citizens in this country and our freedom is one. I was in the military and I vote every election, but jury duty is a life long committment to our mutual freedom. It is how the common person get to say about someone's freedom or if someone is liable for damages. I can say that I read the book in one day and sent my copy to the Chief Justice, Satterfield, of DC Surperior Court for his reading pleasure.

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Sam the Shopper

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2016

fair

Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2013

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**DISCLAIMER**

I was a law student at the school where Professor Ferguson teaches, and had him as a professor twice.

Review:

As mentioned above, I had Professor Ferguson as a professor. I say now what I said in my class surveys: he should teach everyone.

Professor Ferguson's common sense approach in explaining complex issues is second to none. Imagine watching the news, and actually getting a unbiased opinion, this is what you will get from "Why Jury Duty Matters." In his book a lot of his classroom lectures come through the lines. This isn't to say that I didn't appreciate hearing the words again, but rather, to underline the fact that this book should be purchased by anyone who has an interest in learning the reasons why jury duty (often overlooked) is so important.

As a reader, I would compare it to Paul Butlers "Let's Get Free: A Hip-Hop Theory of Justice" and/or Erwin Chemerinsky's "The Conservative Attack on the Constitution."

The only criticism that I have is that the book doesn't cover all the topics which Professor Ferguson has published on; the greater population would benefit from having a matter-of-fact-easy-to-understand publication on all of them.

2 people found this helpful

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Karen Ness

Jury Duty Definitely Matters

Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2014

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Even though the author is equivocal about the jury's most important function, to protect the people from government abuse through the enforcement of unjust legislation, I would recommend everyone read it. Only someone who believes blindly in the higher moral virtue of politicians could believe that the jury should be only a rubber stamp for the will of the legislator, who does not always or often? reflect the will of all of the people. Laws are about punishment, and it is too important an issue to be left only to those who are blinded by authority, fame, and fortune and rarely see up close the consequences of their actions or have become inured to the suffering of ordinary people; the people should be the ones to decide, and the author makes that quite clear.

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