Most people think the jury belongs to the courtroom. In reality, the jury belongs to the people.Long before modern governments existed, communities faced a difficult question: How do we determine the truth of an accusation?
If one person accuses another of wrongdoing, who should decide what happened?
The accuser?
The accused?
A government official?
A judge?
A bureaucrat?
Or a group of ordinary people drawn from the community?
The answer to that question reveals whether a people are truly capable of governing themselves.
The jury is one of humanity's oldest and most successful answers. It is not merely a legal institution. It is a civic institution. It is a mechanism by which free people participate directly in the administration of justice. It protects against arbitrary power. It requires evidence rather than rumor. It distributes responsibility throughout the community. And it reminds us that self-government is not merely a right—it is a duty.
In this live workshop, we'll explore the deeper philosophical foundations of the jury system and why it remains essential to a free society.