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From: Warp
Subject: Re: Do trials by jury make sense?
Date: 28 Apr 2008 13:58:53
Message: <4816105d@news.povray.org>
Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> Warp wrote:
> >   Personally I would feel uncomfortable having random people 

> But you don't need to. You can opt (in the US at least) for a non-jury 
> trial. You have the right, but not obligation, to a jury trial.

  What is the alternative? A panel of experts in the field? Or a lone
judge?

-- 
                                                          - Warp


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From: Warp
Subject: Re: Do trials by jury make sense?
Date: 28 Apr 2008 13:59:56
Message: <4816109b@news.povray.org>
Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> A better comparison would be whether you'd more likely see a movie the 
> educated critics say is good and everyone else says is bad or vice versa.

  I don't think crime is a matter of opinion. (At least not in most cases.)

-- 
                                                          - Warp


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From: Darren New
Subject: Re: Do trials by jury make sense?
Date: 28 Apr 2008 16:13:49
Message: <48162ffd@news.povray.org>
Jim Henderson wrote:
> does happen), if the judge doesn't feel that the jury's vote was 
> appropriate (in either direction), the judge can set aside the verdict.

I'm pretty sure the judge doesn't get to set aside an innocent verdict, 
in the US.

-- 
   Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
     "That's pretty. Where's that?"
          "It's the Age of Channelwood."
     "We should go there on vacation some time."


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From: Darren New
Subject: Re: Do trials by jury make sense?
Date: 28 Apr 2008 16:19:47
Message: <48163163$1@news.povray.org>
Warp wrote:
>   What is the alternative? A panel of experts in the field? Or a lone
> judge?


Just the judge. If you want a panel of experts, you get a jury trial and 
bring the panel of experts yourself.

That's why I'm confused - are you talking about experts in 
law/criminology/etc, or experts in the field you're being accused in? 
And what might that field be? What if you disagree over what experts are 
actually applicable?

In my experience of thinking about many of these things, once one says 
"it should be different" (regardless of what large field "it" may 
involve), when one drills down to the next level of detail, it makes 
sense why it works the way it does. Taking (as an example) the 
libertarian platform to the next level reveals that it really doesn't 
make sense as is in the modern world.

-- 
   Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
     "That's pretty. Where's that?"
          "It's the Age of Channelwood."
     "We should go there on vacation some time."


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From: Darren New
Subject: Re: Do trials by jury make sense?
Date: 28 Apr 2008 16:24:28
Message: <4816327c$1@news.povray.org>
Warp wrote:
>   I don't think crime is a matter of opinion. (At least not in most cases.)

I think if it's not a matter of opinion, then it wouldn't likely go to a 
trial in the first place.

Here's an example of a case I was almost on, as explained by the judge 
before the jury selection, meaning that nobody was really arguing over 
these facts: Military man gets a ride home with two ladies he met at the 
base. They stop at one lady's house to take care of something, leaving 
him in the car. A few minutes later, he comes in looking for a glass of 
water. Ladies are in bed, invites him to join her, they do their thing, 
go on their way happily, all three together in the same car, drive him 
home, drop him off. Husband comes home six months later to find his wife 
six months pregnant. OK, now she claims she's been raped. Plus, the guy 
came into her house without an invitation, so that's breaking and 
entering plus burglary. Plus, she got pregnant, which is "grave bodily 
harm." Which means he's up for life in prison.  Makes sense yet? 
Technically, if all that's true, he did commit a felony leading to grave 
bodily injury by joining her in bed for her invitation, except she 
didn't bother to report it until a year after it happened.

So, would you want that left up to the judge?

-- 
   Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
     "That's pretty. Where's that?"
          "It's the Age of Channelwood."
     "We should go there on vacation some time."


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From: Sabrina Kilian
Subject: Re: Do trials by jury make sense?
Date: 29 Apr 2008 00:20:34
Message: <4816a212$1@news.povray.org>
On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:40:24 -0400, Jim Henderson wrote:

> On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:26:30 -0400, Warp wrote:
> 
>>   I thought the Constitution (and the comissions created to impose it)
>> exists precisely to stop law-makers (and, in this case, judges) from
>> creating unfair laws.
> 
> Sure, and the Constitution has really reigned in GWB, hasn't it? ;-)
> 
> Jim

Did anyone think a piece of paper would stop him from doing anything?


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From: Jim Henderson
Subject: Re: Do trials by jury make sense?
Date: 29 Apr 2008 01:44:54
Message: <4816b5d6@news.povray.org>
On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:13:47 -0700, Darren New wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> does happen), if the judge doesn't feel that the jury's vote was
>> appropriate (in either direction), the judge can set aside the verdict.
> 
> I'm pretty sure the judge doesn't get to set aside an innocent verdict,
> in the US.

I'm not so sure about that - but if it was possible, it is extremely 
rare.  The judge *could* declare a mistrial, but maybe not after the case 
goes to the jury.  Come to think of it, though, I think you're right - 
double jeopardy might enter if he did that.

Jim


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From: Jim Henderson
Subject: Re: Do trials by jury make sense?
Date: 29 Apr 2008 01:45:13
Message: <4816b5e9$1@news.povray.org>
On Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:20:34 -0400, Sabrina Kilian wrote:

> On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:40:24 -0400, Jim Henderson wrote:
> 
>> On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:26:30 -0400, Warp wrote:
>> 
>>>   I thought the Constitution (and the comissions created to impose it)
>>> exists precisely to stop law-makers (and, in this case, judges) from
>>> creating unfair laws.
>> 
>> Sure, and the Constitution has really reigned in GWB, hasn't it? ;-)
>> 
>> Jim
> 
> Did anyone think a piece of paper would stop him from doing anything?

My point exactly.

Jim


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From: Jim Henderson
Subject: Re: Do trials by jury make sense?
Date: 29 Apr 2008 01:45:40
Message: <4816b604$1@news.povray.org>
On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:58:53 -0400, Warp wrote:

>   What is the alternative? A panel of experts in the field? Or a lone
> judge?

A lone judge is the alternative.

Jim


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From: Jim Henderson
Subject: Re: Do trials by jury make sense?
Date: 29 Apr 2008 01:46:59
Message: <4816b653$1@news.povray.org>
On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:57:30 -0400, Warp wrote:

> Jim Henderson <nos### [at] nospamcom> wrote:
>> On Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:01:52 -0400, Warp wrote:
> 
>> >   Imagine if the leaders of the country were decided by the vote of
>> >   12
>> > random people. *That* would be absurd.
> 
>> There's every possibility that happened in the last two US presidential
>> elections, and every possibility that will continue in this one.
> 
>   That's not what I meant, and you know it.

Don't presume to tell me what I know and what I don't, please.  I was in 
fact making a point that the current US president was not in fact voted 
for by the people of the US, and look at the numbnut we got.  I think 
that tells you what would happen if we turn the decision over to the 
government.

Jim


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