jury deliberation
Panel debates guilt
Jury deliberation is the process by which jurors discuss a case privately after hearing all evidence and arguments, working toward a verdict.
During deliberation, jurors review testimony, examine exhibits, and debate the facts: The jury deliberation lasted three days before they reached a unanimous decision.
The deliberation room is off-limits to everyone except the jurors themselves.
- reasonable doubtLegal uncertainty requiring acquittal
- burden of proofDuty to prove allegations
- forepersonJury's elected spokesperson
- groupthinkConformity-driven poor decisions
- holdoutOne refusing to participate
hold out · consensus-building · verdict · emotional reasoning · persuasion · impasse · dissent · conscience · guilty verdict · not guilty · unanimous decision · peer influence · acquittal · courtroom procedure · direct evidence · logical inference · twelve · conviction
- courtroomjudge, oath taking, lawyer, bench, gavel
- Legal DramasThe Good Wife, The Good Fight, Boston Legal, LA Law, Perry Mason
- Courtroom Proceedingstestimony, cross-examination, opening statement, closing argument, objection
- courtroom activitiescross-examination, opening statement, closing argument, plea bargaining, sentencing hearing
- jury trialjuror selection, voir dire, venire, empanelment, impanelment
- legal fictionlegal drama, courtroom drama, crime fiction, detective stories, To Kill a Mockingbird
jury deliberationtrial proceedings
Events during a case
courtroom testimony · open court · public trial · bench trial · judge's ruling
jury deliberationjudicial decision
Court's formal resolution
arbitration · bench trial · judge's ruling · summary judgment · military tribunal