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Why do Western countries have jury duty? (multiverse.soulism.net)
submitted 11 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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All nations within the Anglosphere (US, UK, CA, AU & NZ) have JD imposed towards citizens. I know that the US & Canada both inherited that from Britain, which explains why they have it. However, should it be entirely only the judge making the conviction (some countries operate on a lay-judge system meaning juries aren't used, such as Finland or Japan for example) rather than leaving that decision up to jurors?

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[–] 3 points 4 hours ago* (2 children)

To me it is the complete opposite. The judge at least knows the law, whereas the jurors have to make a best guess based on their gut feeling.

If the judge makes the wrong call, you can still appeal the decision.

Coincidentally my country does not have jury trials (and nor do I think they are very common outside of the anglosphere?)

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  • [–] 2 points 2 hours ago

    The point is that the law is guided by the people, not the other way round. If you have a selection of random people it should be a snapshot of society. They are presented with all the evidence and everything is explained thoroughly before they make a decision, and it can take weeks. I personally think this is far better than leaving it to some old man with outdated and conservative ideas, which is most judges here in the UK.

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