False Jury For Criminal Cases In Illinois
Description
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FAQ
Reasons for Being Excused from Jury Service Medical reasons. Public necessity. Undue hardship. Dependent care. Student Status. Military conflict. Other reason deemed sufficient by the court.
Examples include: Full-Time Student, Care Giver, Child Care, Temporary Medical Condition, Scheduled Vacation, or Work Schedule conflict.
During voir dire, either attorney may ask that a prospective juror be dismissed if he or she reveals information that might indicate a bias. For example, if someone were a relative of the plaintiff or defendant.
Medical conditions, deafness, difficult sitting for long periods, people who know the defendant or officers, people who've been victims of crimes, financial hardship, and more will be excused. Depending on the county, they might call 100 people to select just 12.
Felonies, being the more serious category of crime, almost always qualify for a jury trial due to the potential for severe penalties, including lengthy prison sentences. Misdemeanors, while still serious, often carry less severe punishments and, as a result, may not always necessitate a jury trial.
During voir dire, a judge (sometimes the parties as well) asks potential jurors questions in order to screen them for bias be- fore picking a jury. Even after a jury trial, a judge may order a new trial if a party proves a juror lied during voir dire and hid something that would have kept him or her off the jury.
The judge may grant a judgment as a matter of law (JMOL) if it appears there is no issue of material fact for a jury to decide. A judge can deliver both these judgments, but they can't set aside an acquittal in a criminal case. Once a jury has rendered a not-guilty verdict, the judge can't overturn it.
Petit Jury Petit juries, also known as trial juries, decide both criminal and civil cases. In a criminal case, a petit jury decides whether the Government has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime as charged.
