Juries

Britain Considering Lifting Age Restrictions for Jurors

As the articles below indicate, the Ministry of Justice in Great Britain is considering lifting its age restrictions on who can serve as a juror.  Currently, those older than 69 may not serve on a jury in England and Wales.  While removing the ban would make juries in Great Britain more reflective of the community, there is the risk that older jurors might not be able to perform as well as younger ones. 

The Independent: Ruling on making juries more 'grey' considered

BBC News: Jury service plan to end age limit and include over-70s

Daily Mail: Rise of grey power as ministers call for 90-year-olds ...

One More Thing to Check (Juror Citizenship)

Sometimes with all the talk about checking a juror's Facebook page or searching her digital trail, little things like whether the juror is eligible to serve are forgotten.  Here is one defense attorney who remembered the little things. Upon discovering that a juror who convicted his client was a Canadian citizen, this defense attorney immediately moved to overturn his client's conviction.  This issue has also arisen at the state level with residents of different states see e.g.,Chavers v. State, No. CR-06-0755 (Ala. Crim. App. 4/4/2008).

Pittsburgh Tribune Review: Attorney: Fayette drug conviction invalid because of foreign…

A defense attorney wants his client's drug conviction dismissed because one of the jurors was not a U.S. citizen, which is required