Civic Action – Jury Duty – Why It Matters! Educational Resources K12 Learning, Civics, Government Lesson Plans, Activities, Experiments, Homeschool Help

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Until 1966, women did not serve on juries in Alabama, Mississippi, and South Dakota. Women only became eligible for jury service in all federal and state courts in 1972.

What is jury duty?
Why is jury duty important?

In this lesson, you will learn about jury duty and the role of citizens as jurors.

One of the duties of a citizen is to serve on a jury when called upon.

In this lesson, you will explore why juries are important and why serving on a jury is an important role for a citizen.

Watch the video Trial by Jury: What's the Big Deal? from the State Bar of Georgia. Take note so you'll be able to answer the questions in the quiz that follows.

Now, take this quiz:

Now, watch the video Court Shorts: Jury Service from the United States Courts (below). Answer the following questions based on the video. The answers will be your notes for the rest of the lesson:

What program introduces high school students and their teachers to jury service?
Why is jury service important? Give several reasons.
What is the role of the jury? Give several examples.
How long are most trials?
Why is there a jury pool?
Why should a jury be diverse?
Why or how is the jury's decision respected?

See the Suggested Reading titles in the right-hand sidebar for more resources.

Once you have judged that you know a bit more about jury duty, move on to the Got It? section to delve deeper.