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

Austin American-Statesman A Travis County District judge on Friday instructed the city of Bee Cave and the owners of the West Austin Business Park to craft an order by Jan. 10 to temporarily halt its construction until the case can go to a jury trial. —Austin American-Statesman, 22 Dec. 2024

Ibarra, 26, had waived his right to a jury trial, meaning Haggard heard and decided the case. —Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024

Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial, leaving Judge Haggard to determine the outcome. —Jason Fields, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024

Jose Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial and the case was presented over four days in the Athens-Clarke County courtroom to Judge H. Patrick Haggard, who rendered the verdict on Wednesday shortly after closing arguments in the trial. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 20 Nov. 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.