On September 22, the Illinois Supreme Court struck down a state law that would have reduced the number of jurors in state civil trials from 12 to 6. An expert on juries and recent author of The Missing American Jury, Professor Suja Thomas discussed the issue with Cook County Record.
She said the law "would have had deep implications for the civil justice system in the state."
She continues, "All this really goes back to why we have juries. The point is to have a group of citizens decide certain issues. If you start changing the number of jurors and unanimity, you start changing the core of the system that was contemplated both in the U.S. and Illinois constitutions. In effect, you begin creating an entirely new system of justice."
Full article at Cook County Record