Notes on Judicial Organization and Procedure

Abstract

Methods of Jury Selection. Only five years ago, a member of the bench was protesting that whereas "criticism of our courts has become so common that anyone with a pen or typewriter feels called upon to add his mite to the subject," still, "for some reason, perhaps for fear of being unpopular, very few have said anything regarding juries."" What a change has taken place! Today, baiting the jury is one of our safest, as well as most popular, pastimes. As stated by Dean Wignore, "the issue stands thus: Shall jury trial be abolished? Or shall it only be reformed? No thoughtful person can be content to leave it as it is." Abolition being beyond the realm of probability, the question narrows down to that of the improvement of the jury, which is primarily a problem of improving the methods of its selection.