The Vanishing Jury: An Examination of Its History

Proponents of jury trials argue that limiting or abolishing jury trials would undermine the public's faith in the criminal justice system. Nevertheless, the court system has confirmed the existence of “the vanishing trial,” a term used to describe the steadily declining role of trials (civil and criminal) in the American legal system. With respect to how cases are handled in the criminal justice system, jury trials are often considered the epitome of justice. Therefore, this paper seeks to examine the history of the jury trial and the great lengths that have been taken to improve the institution of the jury.