Sunday, October 24, 2010

Amendment 7: Trial by Jury in Civil Cases

"In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law."

The seventh amendment states the the judge has the right to decide upon any law there is debate over in a courtroom.  Also, if the judge thinks the jury has overlooked or has bias against any evidence, he can overturn the verdict they have settled upon.  This amendment has never been incorporated to the states.


This cartoon shows the jury presenting it's full verdict to the judge. The humor lies in their statement because they are not to pass judgment on the lawyers or the judge, just the accused.

This clip from the movie Judgment at Nuremberg shows a judge presenting a verdict and explaining the background. Through the seventh amendment, the judge is granted the authority to do this.

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