Why Jury Duty Matters

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Credit NYU Press

One day you check the mail, and flipping past the usual assortment of bills, credit card offers, and shopping catalogues, you find a letter that begins “Dear citizen"—a summons to serve jury duty. Whether met with annoyance, anxiety, or a burning desire to game the selection process, this (albeit inconvenient) civic duty is an intrinsic part of being an American.

Andrew Guthrie Ferguson is Assistant Professor of Law at the David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia, a former public defender, and author of the new book Why Jury Duty Matters.