Jury

jury
    n 1: a body of citizens sworn to give a true verdict according
         to the evidence presented in a court of law
    2: a committee appointed to judge a competition [syn: {jury},
       {panel}]
    

Jury \Ju"ry\, a. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Naut.)
   For temporary use; -- applied to a temporary contrivance.
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   {Jury rudder}, a rudder constructed for temporary use.
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Jury \Ju"ry\, n.; pl. {Juries}. [OF. jur['e]e an assize, fr.
   jurer to swear, L. jurare, jurari; akin to jus, juris, right,
   law. See {Just},a., and cf. {Jurat}, {Abjure}.]
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   1. (Law) A body of people, selected according to law,
      impaneled and sworn to inquire into and try any matter of
      fact, and to render their true verdict according to the
      evidence legally adduced. In criminal trials the number of
      such persons is usually twelve, but in civil cases and in
      grand juries it may different. See {Grand jury} under
      {Grand}, and {Inquest}.
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            The jury, passing on the prisoner's life. --Shak.
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   2. A committee for determining relative merit or awarding
      prizes at an exhibition or competition; as, the art jury
      gave him the first prize.
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   {Jury of inquest}, a coroner's jury. See {Inquest}.
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JURY. A body of men selected according to law, for the purpose of deciding 
some controversy. 
     2. This mode of trial by jury was adopted soon after the conquest of 
England, by William, and was fully established for the trial of civil suits 
in the reign of Henry II. Crabb's C. L. 50, 61. In the old French law they 
are called inquests or tourbes of ten men. 2 Loisel's Inst. 238, 246, 248. 
     3. Juries are either grand juries, (q.v.) or petit juries. The former 
having been treated of elsewhere, it will only be necessary to consider the 
latter. A petit jury consists of twelve citizens duly qualified to serve on 
juries, impanelled and sworn to try one or more issues of facts submitted to 
them, and to give a judgment respecting the same, which is called a verdict. 
     4. Each one of the citizens so impanelled and sworn is called a juror. 
Vide Trial. 
     5. The constitution of the United States directs, that "the trial of 
all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury;" and this 
invaluable institution is also, secured by the several state constitutions. 
The constitution of the United States also provides that in suits at common 
law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right 
of trial by jury shall be preserved. Amend. VII. 
     6. It is scarcely practicable to give the rules established in the 
different states to secure impartial juries; it may, however, be stated that 
in all, the selection of persons who are to serve on the jury is made by 
disinterested officers, and that out of the lists thus made out, the jurors 
are selected by lot.