b. Is impartiality even possible?
What;about;impartiality?;Here’s;another
vague;term;that;seldom;matters,;at;least
so;far;as;jurors;truly;being;impartial.;For
example,;a;potential;juror;might;tell;you
that;his;entire;family;is;made;up;of;law
enforcement;officers;that;he;thinks;are
always;honest,;always;putting;their;lives
on;the;line;for;citizens,;and;always;right
when;they;arrest;wrongdoers.;Few;peo-ple with common sense would believe
this;person;if;he;said;he;would;be;un-biased;and;not;automatically;give;more
credit;to;police;than;a;criminal;defen-dant.;Yet,;all;the;prosecutor;need;ask;to
make;the;defense;use;a;peremptory;chal-lenge;is,;“Can;you;be;fair;and;impartial?”
As;long;as;the;potential;juror;says,;“yes,”
the;defense;will;probably;not;be;able;to
strike;the;juror;“for;cause”;and;have;to
use;a;peremptory;challenge;to;get;that
lousy;juror;out;of;the;pool.
What does it mean to be impartial?
Black’s;Law;Dictionary,;9th
;Edition,;de-fines;“impartial”;as “
unbiased;;disinter-ested.”;Another;way;to;put;this;is;that;an
impartial;juror;will;begin;the;trial;without
any;bias;in;favor;of;or;opposed;to;either
side.;How;can;a;defendant;be;sure;this;is
accomplished?;The;answer;is;voir dire, 11;or
extensive;questioning;of;the;potential;ju-rors;by;the;judge,;prosecutor,;and;defense
counsel;before;the;trial;even;begins.
The voir dire in American trials
tends;to;be;extensive;and;probing,
operating;as;a;predicate;for;the;ex-
ercise;of;peremptories,;and;the;pro-
cess;of;selecting;a;jury;protracted.
The;persistence;of;peremptories;and
their;extensive;use;demonstrate;the
long;and;widely;held;belief;that;pe-
remptory challenge is a necessary
part;of;trial;by;jury. 12
“The;function;of;the;challenge;is;not
only;to;eliminate;extremes;of;partiality
on;both;sides,;but;to;assure;the;parties
that;the;jurors;before;whom;they;try;the
case;will;decide;on;the;basis;of;the;evi-dence;placed;before;them,;and;not;other-wise.” 13;Hence,;lots;of;questions;are;asked
of;the;potential;jurors;to;ferret;out;bias,
the;judge;strikes;the;ones;that;cannot;be
unbiased,;and;both;sides;strike;the;re-maining;ones;they;don’t;like.;The;result,
hopefully,;is;the;most;unbiased,;impar-tial,;and;peer-like;jury;possible;given;the
pool;the;parties;had;to;pick;from.;It;is
not;a;perfect;system,;but;it;is,;at;the;least,
better;than;what;citizens;of;most;other
countries;receive.
Questions for Discussion
1.;Why;is;the;right;to;a;speedy;trial
important?
2.;What;would;happen;if;you;didn’t
have;the;right;to;a;public;trial?;Can
you;think;of;countries;where;the
citizens;don’t;have;this;right?
3. Before;you;read;this;article,;what;did
you;think;of;when;the;word;peer was
used?;What;do;you;think;peer means
now?
4.;Do;you;think;people;ever;lie;about
being;impartial;to;get;off;a;jury?
Would;you;want;someone;willing
to;lie;to;get;out;of;exercising;their
constitutional;right;to;sit;on;a;jury
judging;you?
5.;What;if;you;were;asked;to;serve;on;a
jury?;Would;you;be;impartial,;seeing
a;defendant;as;innocent;until;proven
guilty?
6.;What;are;some;experiences;you’ve
had;in;your;life;that;might;make;you
at;least;a;little;bit;biased;against;a
criminal;defendant?;What;about;bias
against;the;police;or;government?
Kevin Mark Smith is an allied attorney with
the Alliance Defending Freedom in Wichita, Kansas, where he lives with his wife and
three daughters. He writes often on the law,
homeschooling, and issues of importance to
Christians, families, and conservatives on
www.kevinmarksmith.com.
Endnotes:
1.;See Hamdi v. Rumsfeld,;542;U.S.;507;(2004)
(U.S.;citizens;held;as;enemy;combatants;have
the;right;to;petitions;of;habeas;corpus).
2. See Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag
Archipelago;Volume;1:;An;Experiment;in
Literary Investigation (Harper Perennial
Modern;Classics;(August;7,;2007).
3. The King’s Court or Star Chamber was an
inquisition;utilized;in;England;prior;to;1641
whereby;the;prosecutor;would;present;his;case
in;writing;to;a;counsel;appointed;by;the;King.
The;trials;were;held;in;secret;with;no;indict-ments,;no;witnesses,;no;jury,;and;no;right;to
appeal.;While;they;were;formally;disbanded;in
1641,;similar;proceedings;were;utilized;in;the
colonies;in;the;years;immediately;preceding
the;American;Revolution.
4.;See;www.innocenceproject.org.
5.;But;see Batson v. Kentucky, 476;U.S.;79;(1986)
(striking minorities due to minority status
alone impermissible; must have legitimate,
non-discriminatory;reason).
6.;Duncan v. Louisiana,;391;U.S.;145,;156;(1968).
7. Strauder v. West Virginia,;100;U.S.;303,;308-309
(1880).
8.;Each;side;in;a;jury;trial;gets;a;predetermined
number;of;strikes;of;members;of;the;jury;pool.
To;not;use;up;those;strikes,;the;prosecutor;or
defense;attorney;must;show;that;the;potential
juror;cannot;be;impartial.
9.;Taylor v. Louisiana, 419;U.S.;522,;527;(1975)
(finding;that;striking;women;from;jury;violates
the;right;to;trial;by;jury;of;one’s;peers);(citation
omitted);(italics;added).
10.;Ibid. at;526-27;(citing;Duncan v. Louisiana,;391
U.S.;145,;156;(1968)).
11.;Voir dire is;latin;for;“to;speak;the;truth.”
12.;Swain v. Alabama, 380;U.S.;202,;218-19;(1965).
13.;Ibid.;at;219.
Discovered October 12, 2012 by Sasha Stevens
- Gulf Shores, AL
Sand Crabs.
At Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, they’ll never know they’re
still in school. Sugar white beaches and interactive attractions
make learning fun. It’s a whole different state of discovery.
Call 1-877-892-3224 or visit GulfShores.com/TOS
GSA012 The Old School House 1/4 Ad.indd 1 1/11/13 8: 45 AM
