Jury Box Law and Legal Definition
A Jury Box is a special enclosure within a courtroom for the jury. It is the place where a jury sits during the trial of a case. It is usually found in the front of the court room to facilitate jurors hear and see the testimony and arguments made by either party. It is located to the side of the witness stand and the judge's bench.
Pursuant to the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, accused criminals have the right to a trial by a jury of their peers. Therefore, in criminal trials, a jury must be present unless the accused waives his rights to a jury.
A jury is a group (usually 6 or 12sually) of people randomly selected from the U.S. citizens and qualified residents. A jury is selected based on the process of voir dire. Members of a jury are called jurors and they have the responsibility of determining whether the defendant is guilty or not, based on the evidence presented in a trial. Jurors sit in a jury box and listen to all the evidence presented by both the defendant and the plaintiff or prosecutor.
The judge then gives final instructions to the jury. On receiving the instructions, the jury leaves the jury box to deliberate. The deliberation is done in a secret place, after deliberation the jury come to a decision together. However, there are cases where the jury must decide unanimously.
