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WHERE ARE THE JURY TRIALS?

By "Captain Liberty" and "Rumpole"

The title of the post links to the Florida Bar ("motto: "Lawyers hating Lawyers") News article about the serious decline in the number of jury trials. Fact: From 1962 to 2002, federal civil trials decreased by nearly 10 percent, and federal criminal trials experienced an even greater decrease. Fact: Florida Bar membership will soon pass 100,000 members.So where are the trials going? A few thoughts: First: we make no pretense about understanding civil trials. How or why one would sue (or even serve) a debentured bond is well beyond our limited understanding of torts. Second: As to criminal law, there is a built in bias to force a resolution of the case. In Federal Court your client gets the 2-3 point guideline reduction for acceptance of responsibility in any case, and in drug trafficking cases with the ten year minimum mandatory, the safety valve provision can assure a 3-5 year sentence instead of risking a minimum ten year sentence if they go to trial and lose...continue to full post

Full post as published by Justice Building Blog on October 13, 2010 (boomark / email).