jury Hear it!

jury¹ Definition

jury (jo̵or′ē)

noun pl. -·ries

  1. a group of people sworn to hear the evidence and inquire into the facts in a law case, and to give a decision in accordance with their findings
  2. a group of people, often experts, selected to decide the winners and award the prizes in a competition or contest

Etymology: ME jure < Anglo-Fr juree < OFr, oath, judicial inquest < ML jurata, a jury, properly fem. pp. of L jurare, to take an oath, swear < jus (gen. juris), law < IE *yewos, fixed rule > OIr huisse, just

jury² Definition

jury (jo̵or′ē)

adjective

Naut. for temporary or emergency use; makeshift a jury mast, jury rig

Etymology: < ?

jury Synonyms

jury

n.

tribunal, judges, peers, panel, board, grand jury, petit jury, coroner's jury.

jury Law Definition

n

A group of individuals selected and sworn in to serve as the finders of fact in a civil or criminal trial, or in the case of a grand jury, to decide whether the facts warrant an indictment of the defendant.
blue-ribbon jury
A jury for which only highly educated individuals have been selected, because they will be dealing with technical subject matter.
grand jury
A jury selected and sworn in by a prosecutor to determine whether to issue indictments.
petit jury
A jury selected to decide the facts in a trial (effectively, any jury other than a grand jury).
jury Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • acquit: During the previous six years English juries often acquitted Quakers for violating Parliament's command that all religious services conform to Anglican ritual.
  • instruct: In these circumstances, a properly instructed jury would undoubtedly have convicted.

Preposition: at

  • inquest: In October 1836 the jury at an inquest held at the White Hart in Lenton returned a verdict of manslaughter on Henry Thomas Mortimer.

Converse of subject

  • acquit: Today ( 21 September 2005 ) at Southwark Crown Court he was acquitted by the jury.
  • indict: Last week, he was indicted by a grand jury.
  • convict: Malone denied murder but was convicted by the jury.

Adjective modifier

  • all-white: Unsurprisingly, the all-white jury convicted Satpal of murder within about half an hour.
  • hung: Released on bail, Newton fled to Cuba but in 1977 he returned to the United States and was freed after two hung juries.
  • grand: Last week, he was indicted by a grand jury.
  • federal: According to the findings of the federal grand jury, Ninety bullets were fired inside the apartment.

Modifies a noun

  • verdict: A potential jury verdict nearly an second to lifting is.
  • foreman: The court clerk will ask the jury foreman for the verdict.
  • deliberation: Lord Reed spoke on the controversial topic of the confidentiality of jury deliberations.
  • trial: Jury trial, New York Here, bin Laden was already under indictment for the embassy bombings.
  • acquittal: The last of these he won with a full jury acquittal.

Noun used with modifier

  • inquest: The inquest jury recorded a unanimous verdict of unlawful killing in March 1998.
  • pre-selection: At the discretion of the pre-selection jury, an applicant may be invited to submit additional information or an amended application.

Possessives

  • verdict: Others were less inclined to agree with the first jury's guilty verdict.

Possessives

  • coroner: Following a previous five-day inquest on 1st February 2002, the coroner's jury returned a verdict of accidental death.
  • citizen: The methods used can range from focus groups to citizens ' juries.
jury Quotes

You have been acquitted bya Limerick jury, and you may now leave the dock without any other stain upon your character.

—Adams,Judge Richard

'I'll be judge, I'll be jury,'said cunning old Fury; 'I'll try the whole cause, and condemn you to death.'

—Dodgson

A court is onlyas sound as its jury, and a jury is onlyas sound as the men who make it up.

—Lee, (Nelle) Harper

   When you see a lawyer trying to pick a smart jury, you know he's got a strong case.

—Bailey, F(rancis) Lee

The Press is the living Jury of the Nation.

—Bennett,James Gordon, Snr

Trial by jury itself, instead of being a security to persons who are accused, will be a delusion, a mockery, and a snare.

—Denman,Thomas, 1st Baron

Consider, Sir, how should you like, though conscious of your innocence, to be tried before a jury for a capital crime, once a week.

—Johnson, Samuel known as Dr Johnson