A brief history of the jury

Sidebar by Lynda La Rocca

Jury Duty – November 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

So what is a jury, anyway? A jury is a group of people legally selected and sworn to inquire into, and decide the truth of, factual evidence and to render a verdict according to that evidence.

The jury’s earliest incarnation in England (the legal system upon which our own is based) may have derived from the Norman institution of “recognition by sworn inquest,” in which 12 knights were chosen to examine matters of interest to the Crown (such as the taxation of an individual) which could become the subject of public inquiry.

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It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it

Article by Lynda La Rocca

Jury Duty – November 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine

Frankly, I was looking for the money. After spending a month back east this past summer, my husband Steve and I returned to Colorado in mid-August to an official U.S. Postal Service bin brimming with mail. Among the piles of catalogues, bills (and yes, several checks) was an unwelcome piece of news — my summons to report, the following week, for jury service.

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