Why Jury Duty Matters: A Citizenas Guide to Constitutional Action

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.

Author: Andrew Guthrie Ferguson
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: 12/17/2012
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.64lbs
Size: 8.03h x 5.08w x 0.76d
ISBN: 9780814729038

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2012
Library Journal 01/01/2013 pg. 98
Publishers Weekly 01/07/2013
Choice 08/01/2013

About the Author
Ferguson, Andrew Guthrie: - Andrew Guthrie Ferguson is Professor of Law at the University of the District of Columbia's David A. Clarke School of Law. Professor Ferguson is a national expert on predictive policing, big data surveillance, and the Fourth Amendment. He is the author of Why Jury Duty Matters (NYU Press, 2012).