Exercises. 1. Find the English equivalents in the text

1. Find the English equivalents in the text.

1. малое жюри присяжных

2. большое жюри присяжных

3. права и свободы

4. выполнить юридические обязательства

5. наказание

6. приговор

7. единогласный вердикт

8. совещание присяжных

9. предать кого-то суду

10. списки избирателей

2. Complete the following sentences.

1. The two types of juries are …………………………….

2. The role of the petit (trial) jury is ………………………

3. The verdict of guilty or not guilty is brought by ………………………..

4. The sentence is set by ………………………………

5. The method of selection potential jurors is designed in order to ………………………………..

3. Answer the following questions.

1. How is the role of the grand jury different from that of the petit jury?

2. How are potential jurors selected?

Text 2: “Steps in a trial”

Task 1: read and translate the text

1. Selection of a Jury Jurors are selected for a courtroom from the pool of available jurors. The judge and attorneys question the jurors in a process called voir dire which means “to speak the truth” to determine if any juror has a personal interest in the case, a prejudice or bias that may wrongly influence him/her as a juror. Thus people who may not be able to decide the case fairly must be excluded. The attorneys may challenge some jurors and ask the Court to excuse them from the trial. There are two types of challenges; challenge for cause and peremptory challenge. Although peremptory challenges are limited in number, each side has an unlimited number of challenges for cause.

2. Opening Statements Each side may outline the proof to be presented to the jury during the trial. Opening statements are not evidence, only expectations of what each side expects the evidence to prove.

3. Presentation of Evidence and Testimony of Witnesses

Evidence is presented and witnesses from both the prosecution and the defence are questioned. The prosecution acts on behalf of the victim(s) of the crime. The defence acts on behalf of the person on trial for committing the crime – the ‘defendant’. The plaintiff’s or prosecution’s case is presented first. Prosecution attorney will call witnesses to help add credibility to their case. There can be actual witnesses to the offence or expert witnesses called to testify on their area of expertise. As each witness testifies, the side that called the witness asks questions in direct examination. Then the side that did not call the witness has an opportunity to ask questions in cross examination. Physical evidence, such as documents, weapons or photographs are admitted into evidence and numbered for identification.

During the trial, the attorney for each party can make objections. If the judge finds the objection valid, he will sustain it. If he finds it invalid, the objection will be overruled. The judge will instruct the jury to disregard what should not be considered. A ruling by the judge to sustain or overrule an objection does not mean that the judge is taking sides. He is applying the law which permits or does not permit the question to be asked or the evidence to be presented.

4. Closing Arguments The attorneys summarize the evidence and try to persuade the jury to be in favour of their client. The information presented in the closing argument is not considered evidence and it may have a strong emotional impact on the jury.

5. Jury Instructions The judge reads the instructions of law to the jury, defines the issues the jurors must decide and informs them of the law that governs the case. Judge will use “plain English” to avoid confusing jurors with legal terms.

6. Deliberation The jury retires to the deliberation room to consider the case and reach a verdict. The jury first elects a foreperson who will see that discussions are conducted in a sensible and orderly fashion, that all issues are fully and fairly discussed, and that every juror is given a fair chance to participate. If the jurors have a question during their deliberation, they may write it down and have the bailiff deliver it to the judge.

When a verdict has been reached, the jurors agreeing to the verdict sign the form and notify the bailiff. The jury comes back into the courtroom and the spokesperson is asked to ‘deliver’ the verdict. This means they tell the court what decision the jury has reached.