Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2007

Keywords

Jury studies, Jury decison-making, Hung jury project, Jury deliberation styles

Disciplines

Courts | Legal Writing and Research

Abstract

This article contrasts the cinematic portrayal of jury deliberation in 12 Angry Men with an empirical portrait of real world juries derived from fifty years of jury research. The messages of this iconic movie converge with the findings of research studies in some surprising ways. During the course of the movie's deliberation, the different perspectives of the movie's jurors emerge as important contributors to the jury's fact finding, reinforcing the empirical finding that diversity among jurors produces robust deliberation and superior decision making. 12 Angry Men also illustrates both the importance of majority opinions and the power of dissenters under a unanimous decision rule.

Publication Citation

Published in: Chicago-Kent Law Review, vol. 82, no. 2 (2007).

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