prosecutor;and;against;the;compli-ant,;biased,;or;eccentric;judge.;If;the
defendant preferred the common-sense;judgment;of;a;jury;to;the;more
tutored;but;perhaps;less;sympathetic
reaction;of;the;single;judge,;he;was
to;have;it. 6
While not directly referenced in the
6th
;Amendment,;legislative;intent;is;rele-vant;as;to;why;the;Courts;have;incorpo-rated;the;term;“peers”;into;the;right;to;an
impartial;jury:;“Blackstone,;in;his;Com-mentaries,;says,;‘The;right;of;trial;by;jury,
or;the;country,;is;a;trial;by;the;peers;of
every;Englishman,;and;is;the;grand;bul-wark;of;his;liberties,;and;is;secured;to
him;by;the;Great;Charter.’” 7;Thus,;since
all;Englishmen;(except;colonists!);were
imbued;with;the;right;arising;from;the
Common;Law;and;America’s;laws;and
civil;rights;arose;from;the;same;Com-mon;Law,;it;was;presumed;that;the;right
in;its;totality,;including;peers,;transferred
to;all;Americans;as;part;of;the;unalien-able;right;to;trial;by;jury.;Put;another
way,;the;Founding;Fathers;did;not;believe
that;the;Bill;of;Rights;granted;Americans
their;rights;but;that;our;Creator;gave;us
those;rights.;As;the;Declaration;of;Inde-pendence;states,;“We;hold;these;truths;to
be;self-evident,;that;all;men;are;created
equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator;with;certain;unalienable;Rights,
that;among;these;are;Life,;Liberty,;and;the
Pursuit;of;Happiness.”;The;Bill;of;Rights
merely;codified;those;rights;to;make;sure
government;didn’t;usurp;them.
So;now;that;we;know;we;are;entitled
to;a;jury;of;peers,;what;is;a;“peer”?;How
can;a;jury;trying;a;homeless;black;man
living;on;the;streets;in;South;Central;LA
be;made;up;of;his;peers;when;they;are
all;white,;or;some;white,;some;Mexican,
some;Asian,;and;just;one;or;two;blacks?
Only;the;black;man;or;woman;who;is
homeless;and;living;in;the;same;econom-ically;depressed;area;is;a;peer,;right?;The
upper-middle-class;soccer;mom;cannot
relate;to;him,;right?;Good;luck;striking
her;“for;cause.” 8
A;unanimous;Court;stated;…;that
“[i]t;is;part;of;the;established;tradi-
tion;in;the;use;of;juries;as;instru-
ments;of;public;justice;that;the;jury
be a body truly representative of
the community.” To exclude racial
groups;from;jury;service;was;said;to
be;“at;war;with;our;basic;concepts;of
a;democratic;society;and;a;represen-
tative;government.” 9
Thus,;a;jury;of;one’s;peers;is;accom-plished;so;long;as;the;pool;consists;of
a;“fair;cross;section;of;the;community”
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Thus,;a;jury;of;one’s;peers;is;accomplished;so;long;as;the;pool;consists;of;a
“fair;cross;section;of;the;community”;from;which;it;is;drawn.
