ABA HOSTING SYMPOSIUM ON THE AMERICAN JURY SYSTEM
OCT. 15 AT WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

CHICAGO, Sept. 30, 2004 – Should jurors be allowed to take notes during a trial? Should they be able to ask a witness questions the lawyers didn’t ask? Should a jury pool be drawn just from the voting roles, or should jurisdictions be more aggressive in reaching out to the community? Should jurors have to "memorize" jury instructions, or would it be better to give instructions to them in writing?

American Bar Association President Robert J. Grey Jr., of Richmond, Va., is convening a national symposium on Oct. 15, at which lawyers, judges, academics, jury experts, court administrators, bar leaders and jurors will discuss these and many other issues about how the American jury system works and should work. The symposium will take place at Washington and Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Va., Grey’s law school alma mater. On the docket are proposed revisions to ABA jury standards covering everything from how jurors are selected and treated to what steps courts and lawyers should take to ensure that jurors understand testimony and instructions.

The draft revisions are part of a project undertaken by the American Jury Project, chaired by Patricia L. Refo of Phoenix, a group appointed by Grey whose mission is to consolidate three sets of standards adopted at the behest of different ABA entities over the years, and to update them to make jury service a better experience for those who are called to serve. The proposed revisions can be found at www.abanet.org/juryprojectstandards/draft.html.

There will be four plenary sessions, beginning at 8:45 a.m. Three will look at the standards in detail, and one will consist of jurors from different kinds of cases, both civil and criminal. Among them is Oscar Criner, professor of computer science at Texas Southern University and jury foreman in the Arthur Andersen trial, a co-chair of the ABA Commission on the American Jury whose purpose is to reach out to both the public and the legal profession to improve both the practice and respect for jury service. Following the panels will be three simultaneous breakout sessions where participants will discuss details of the proposed standards.

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding   around the world of the importance of the rule of law in a democratic society.

Editors note: Reporters are welcome to attend the symposium free of charge. To arrange for credentials, contact Chris Tozer at CTozer@staff.abanet.org or 312/988-6128, or Stephanie Ortbals-Tibbs at OrtbalsS@staff.abanet.orgor 202/662-1091.

For those reporters who cannot attend, a transcript of the panel discussions and video of both the panel discussions and breakout sessions will be posted shortly after the symposium. Links to each will be posted as soon as possible at the ABA’s online media kit on the Jury Initiative,  www.abavideonews.org/ABA294/index.htm.

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