Sidebar: A quirky look at juries

Jury duty. A cornerstone of the American justice system brings together complete strangers with almost no context to dispense justice. Being called to your civic duty as a juror can be confusing, like taking a class you never meant to sign up for.

In this episode, we take you behind the scenes in courthouses across the country to reveal the inner workings of how juries operate. Fans of true crime and “Law & Order” create new perspectives. Social media is now an unavoidable part of the process. And now, remote juries are adding a contemporary element to the selection process.

We detail how you make the final cut or get out of a jury summons. It's not always an easy process, even if you are Samuel L. Jackson. Some of the best stories about juries, however, can't be predicted or avoided with all the preparation and analysis in the world.

Special guests:

• Jo-Ellan Dimitrius, a trial consultant that has helped pick 600 juries, including for O.J. Simpson’s defense team
• Denise de La Rue, a trial consultant that helped pick juries for Ted Kaczynski, Eric Rudolph and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s defense teams
• Mark Drummond, director of the Civil Jury Project at NYU

Sidebar tackles the top stories you need to know from the legal world. Join reporters Daniel Jackson, Amanda Pampuro and Nina Pullano as they take you in and out of courtrooms in the U.S. and beyond and break down developments to help you understand how they affect your day-to-day life.

This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens. A transcript of this episode is available.

Editorial staff is Bill Dotinga, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross. Special thanks to Hillel Aron, Bianca Bruno, Kayla Goggin and Edvard Pettersson.

For more quirky 21st-century jury stories:

• Amber Heard’s attorneys ask court to set aside defamation verdict
• Arizona Supreme Court affirms constitutionality of anonymous juries
• Juror bias accusations push We Build the Wall case toward mistrial
• Religious juror focus of ex-lawmaker’s bid to overturn conviction

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