I think that the main reason for the practical intelligence and the political good sense of the Americans is their long experience with juries in civil cases. I do not know whether a jury is useful to the litigants, but I am sure it is very good for those who have to decide the case. I regard it as one of the most effective means of popular education at society’s disposal.

Dissent offers commentaries on jury duty from Alexis de Toqueville, Joanne Barkan, Paul Berman, Susan Cheever, Nicolaus Mills, Maxine Phillips, Ruth Rosen, Jim Sleeper, Michael Walzer, and Darryl Lorrenzo Wellington. [more inside]
posted by anotherpanacea on Feb 18, 2008 - 8 comments

NPR Commentator Jim Sleeper on recent events Links to Real Audio file. I spent some time today looking for a transcript but this is the best I could find. I heard this yesterday and it's the one of the most reasoned piece of commentary I've heard and places this incident in an appropriate historical context. "We'll have to be tougher and smarter than ever before but also wiser and, if possible, more noble."
posted by amanda on Sep 14, 2001 - 0 comments