Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

L AW

312

Trial by jury

a jury is a group of people chosen to decide the truth

from the evidence given in a court of law. although each

state has its own qualifications for jury service, the

people chosen to hear the case must be unbiased. in a

trial, the evidence is presented to the jury by lawyers for

the prosecution and for the defense. The jury then

reviews the evidence. lawyers may call witnesses to testify

and answer questions about the facts of the case. The

judge makes a charge to the jury—a statement of the

rules of law that apply to the particular case. The jury

leaves the courtroom to discuss the charge until they

reach an agreement on the verdict.

lawyers

a lawyer is licensed to represent people in court

or give them advice in matters of law. learning

to become a lawyer takes several years, and most

states require people to pass a special test called

a bar exam before they are allowed to practice law.

juDGes

a public official, called a judge, presides

over all trials. judges have to be lawyers

because they apply the rules of law to

court cases. The judge is responsible for

ensuring a fair trial, and decides the

punishment if the accused is found guilty.

InternatIonal law

even though all nations do not share

the same legal systems, they cooperate

under the rules of international law.

These laws are made with the consent

of two or more countries.

international law deals with crimes

like hijacking and terrorist acts, such

as the september 11th attacks.

Many countries share extradition

treaties so that accused people

can be returned to the country

where they committed a crime

if they are captured elsewhere.

ChallenGinG The law

The courts in america have the power of judicial review,

which means they can throw out any laws that do not agree

with the united states Constitution, or individual state

constitutions. This power was established in a famous

supreme Court case of 1803, Marbury v. Madison. in this

decision, Chief justice john Marshall (left) ruled for the

first time that an act of Congress

was unconstitutional. This case

set a precedent that allowed

other acts of Congress to

be challenged.

Trial by Television

Many states allow television to film court

cases. in recent years, television coverage of

sensational, high-profile trials—such as those

of Michael jackson and o.j. simpson—has

drawn huge audiences. some people believe

that the cameras undermine justice, because

the publicity draws attention away from the

facts of the case and influences the jury.

others argue that allowing trials to be televised

safeguards the public’s right to be informed.

O.J. Simpson was

tried in a famous

televised case.

Constitution

Government and politics

human rights

supreme court

Find out more

The first us

attorney general

was edmund

randolph.

A 1950s jury hears

a murder case.

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