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University of Michigan Law School

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Journal

1973

United States Supreme Court

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Law

An Empirical Study Of Six And Twelve-Member Jury Decision-Making Processes, Joan B. Kessler Jan 1973

An Empirical Study Of Six And Twelve-Member Jury Decision-Making Processes, Joan B. Kessler

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

This article employs the techniques of the social sciences in testing a legal proposition. After setting forth the hypotheses and methodology utilized by the experiment discussed herein, it presents the results obtained by examining the deliberations of different-sized juries concerning the same civil litigation. This article does not purport to be definitive; it does, however, attempt to indicate one methodology of interdisciplinary research which can be undertaken and the utility of this research to both the social sciences and the legal profession.


Six-Member And Twelve-Member Juries: An Empirical Study Of Trial Results, Lawrence R. Mills Jan 1973

Six-Member And Twelve-Member Juries: An Empirical Study Of Trial Results, Lawrence R. Mills

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The most convincing basis for criticism of the Supreme Court's conclusion that there is "no discernible difference" between the results reached by the six-member juries and those reached by the twelve-member juries would be empirical data suggesting a contrary conclusion. A recent study by the Institute of Judicial Administration comparing twelve-member and six-member juries in over 650 civil cases in New Jersey courts disclosed less than a two percentage-point difference between the respective percentages of verdicts rendered for plaintiffs by the two different-sized juries. The same study seemed to indicate that the damage awards in twelve-member jury cases were higher …


The Confrontation Clause And The Scope Of The Unavailability Requirement, Jerry J. Phillips Jan 1973

The Confrontation Clause And The Scope Of The Unavailability Requirement, Jerry J. Phillips

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The confrontation clause is that language of the sixth amendment to the United States Constitution which provides, "[I]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right… to be confronted with the witnesses against him." Despite the seemingly absolute language of the confrontation clause, which would suggest that no hearsay evidence may be admitted against an accused in a criminal proceeding, its guarantee has been subject to exception. For example, when either a witness to an event or his testimony is shown to be unavailable, others will be allowed to testify as to the information which the declarant-witness has related …


Congressional Discretion In Dealing With The Federal Rules Of Evidence, Stuart M. Lockman Jan 1973

Congressional Discretion In Dealing With The Federal Rules Of Evidence, Stuart M. Lockman

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

On November 20, 1972, the Supreme Court, pursuant to statutory authority, adopted the Federal Rules of Evidence. The new rules of evidence were not to take effect, however, until ninety days after they had been submitted to Congress. The rules were officially submitted on February 5, 1973, but even before that date they had become the subject of extensive legislative debate. While some attorneys praise the codification of evidence rules as a progressive step, others maintain that certain of these promulgations will have an objectionable impact on the federal judicial system or that the Supreme Court has exceeded its authority …