How many people should serve on jury? Groups provide SCOTUS with input
Over a dozen amicus briefs were filed Thursday at the U.S. Supreme Court over a case involving a Florida petitioner found guilty by a six-person jury on five felony counts of practicing chiropractic medicine with a suspended license. (Image from Shutterstock)
Over a dozen amicus briefs were filed Thursday at the U.S. Supreme Court over a case involving a Florida petitioner named Hamed Kian, who was found guilty by a six-person jury on five felony counts of practicing chiropractic medicine with a suspended license.
The Supreme Court agreed in June to hear the case and revisit its 1970 decision in Williams v. Florida that 12-member juries aren’t a required component of the Sixth Amendment right to trial by jury, according to a story by Law360.
The amicus briefs ask that the Supreme Court find, instead, that the Constitution requires 12-person juries to decide trials for serious crimes.
Federal courts and most states mandate that criminal trials for serious offenses be decided by 12-person juries. However, Florida has six-member juries for noncapital offenses. Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts and Utah also use juries of fewer than 12 people in some types of criminal cases.
A variety of groups have chimed in with amicus briefs, including former judges, the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the nonprofit Human Rights for Kids.
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