Johnny Kelly Quotes

A jury is composed of twelve men of average ignorance.

When you go into court you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.

Now it is clear, that if the government can exclude, on account either of their opinions or feelings, any persons thus drawn by lot, the trial is no longer a trial by 'the country,' but only by a portion of the country.

I have faith in the jury system.

I have great faith in the jury system.

Getting out of jury duty is easy. The trick is to say you're prejudiced against all races.

In court, jurors are admonished by the judge at every recess not to discuss the case or form any opinions until the case is given to them for deliberations. Of course, there is no such limitation on the public.

I did not see any major issues other than the jury substitutions. I can't know whether there's a problem there, until I read the transcript from the in-chambers conference, when those jurors were excused.

I've served on five different juries, and many of them were bonkers in their own way.

Jury selection is strictly an emotional process. They're looking for people they can manipulate. Both sides are.

Believe it or not, there are people who want to be on juries.

I certainly believe it's over for the jury system, but we won't admit it for a while.

To exclude all jurors who would be in the slightest way affected by the prospect of the death penalty would be to deprive the defendant of the impartial jury to which he or she is entitled under the law.

A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.

It's extremely damaging to a fair trial to have people reaching judgment about the case in the newspapers and on the radio before the facts are heard in a case.

To escape jury duty in England, wear a bowler hat and carry a copy of the Daily telegraph.

A fox should not be on the jury at a goose's trial.

Juries are not computers. They are composed of human beings who evaluate evidence differently.

I spent my time trying to understand grand jury procedure - a topic about which I never before had the slightest interest.

I have had it with people who are threatening me and my kids and my family over simply commenting on the law and criminal procedure, and respecting juries. Because they do work hard. They work way harder than I do; and they work way harder than the rest of those people making those peanut gallery comments.

The trial by jury is a trial by 'the country,' in contradistinction to a trial by the government. The jurors are drawn by lot from the mass of the people, for the very purpose of having all classes of minds and feelings, that prevail among the people at large, represented in the jury.

During my jury selection process, we went through over 360 jurors. It took six months, all New York residents. Of the 360 jurors, over half of them had been mugged one time. Quite a number of them, maybe 30 40, 50, had been mugged twice.

Serving jury duty is a fascinating little slice of life, with its motley crew of personalities.

It takes courage to sit on a jury. How many of us want to decide the fate of another person's life or freedom? How many of us want to hold that kind of power in our hands?

I would rather have my fate in the hands of 23 representative citizens of the county [the grand jury] than in the hands of a politically appointed judge.