jury trial

noun

: a trial that is decided by a jury

I demand my right to a jury trial.

Examples of jury trial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The eight plaintiffs are asking for a jury trial, financial losses and compensatory damages. —Jonathan Franklin, NPR, 7 June 2024

The jury trial could begin as early as March 17 and is estimated to take about six to eight weeks, lawyers said. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 3 June 2024

One hopes for all its unit owners that the association had adequate insurance to cover such an incident and claim, otherwise the litigation that has reached the appellate level and is now headed for a jury trial could take a heavy toll on its finances that would be borne by the owners. —Jacob Leuze, Miami Herald, 18 May 2024

The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial and monetary damages. —Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 17 May 2024

Legal Definition

jury trial

noun

: a trial in which a jury serves as the trier of fact

called also trial by jury

compare bench trial

Note: The right to a jury trial is established in the U.S. Constitution, but it is not an absolute right. The Supreme Court has stated that petty crimes (as those carrying a sentence of up to 6 months) do not require trial by jury. The right to a jury trial in a criminal case may be waived by the “express and intelligent consent” of the defendant, usually in writing, as well as, in federal cases, the approval of the court and consent of the prosecutor. There is no right to a jury trial in equity cases. When a civil case involves both legal and equitable issues or procedure, either party may demand a jury trial (and failure to do so is taken as a waiver), but the judge may find that there is no right to a jury trial because of equitable issues or claims.