What I teach Harvard Law School students about the importance of opening arguments and how a majority of jurors make up their minds about a case after hearing them.
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Articles on Jury trial
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In criminal trials, a majority of jurors make up their minds about a case after hearing the opening arguments from lawyers.
A retired federal judge sheds light on what’s going on in Judge Lewis Kaplan’s courtroom during the latest trial involving former President Donald Trump.
Trump’s lawyers, and those prosecuting him, aren’t the only ones grappling with the problem of finding unbiased jurors in the age of social media.
In England and Wales perpetrators of one of the gravest violent crimes, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, are very unlikely to receive any punishment at all
In the end, we must accept there are flaws in jury processes. But finding alternatives has proved difficult, hence the reluctance of governments to abandon the status quo.
The dangers of allowing extraneous “research” are twofold. First, such evidence is not subject to the rules of admissibility. Second, it isn’t subject to the rigours of cross-examination.
Video evidence can be powerful at a trial – but it does not always lead to a fair rendering of justice.
Cognitive scientists are investigating the ways relative factors like new options and the order they’re presented influence your choices and beliefs.
Victim impact statements give survivors a voice in the criminal justice process. But research shows their wrenching personal testimonies may not bring closure and can add racial bias into sentencing.
Top contributors
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Professor of Law, Harvard University
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Emeritus Professor of Law and Criminal Justice, University of South Australia
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Senior Lecturer in Police Studies, University of Portsmouth
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William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science, Amherst College
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Professor of Law, University of Dayton
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Assistant Professor in Media Studies, University of Colorado Boulder
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Associate Professor of Psychology, Vanderbilt University
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Associate Professor of Criminal Law and Evidence, University of South Australia
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President, Dickinson College
