Free Web NovelChapter 788: 280
Abroad, however, the gift of gab is essential for a lawyer. It’s often needed to persuade the jury and win their approval. In those classic cases, every lawyer is silver-tongued, speaking with eloquence and flair. With a jury present, the verdict is made by them. George’s move clearly showed he didn’t want to get entangled with Qin Mu and planned to use his greatest advantage to end the trial.
"What did he just say?"
While Chen Tiankuo was analyzing the situation, Zhang Qingyuan, seated beside him at the defendant’s bench, remained utterly confused. He was the defendant, after all. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being an outsider. This case, though clearly about him, felt strangely disconnected from his reality.
"He said..." Chen Tiankuo rolled his eyes and patiently translated everything once more, then sighed. Looking worriedly at Zhang Qingyuan, he explained, "The jury will be composed of locals, and many of them are religious. If they find out you signed the pledge but didn’t donate, they’ll likely be biased against you."
After hearing this, Zhang Qingyuan swallowed hard. "Then we... we can also refuse a jury, right?" he asked, almost to himself. "It can’t just be up to him to decide, can it?"
The judge seemed to be asking for both parties’ opinions. As stakeholders, they should have the right to refuse.
However, the next second, Qin Mu voluntarily stood up. "Our side also supports the introduction of a jury," he announced. "We request the jury’s involvement in this trial!"
The moment he finished speaking, Chen Tiankuo, Zhang Qingyuan, and Feng Cuihua were all stunned. Chen Tiankuo, especially, stared at Qin Mu in disbelief. He had just explained to Qin Mu why the opposing counsel wanted a jury, yet Qin Mu had still stubbornly agreed! As a result, the case would undoubtedly involve a jury, leaving no room for maneuver.
On the plaintiff’s side, Xu Liming and George exchanged equally astonished glances.
"What... what does he mean?" Xu Liming half-squinted, assessing Qin Mu up and down with a complex expression. Introducing a jury was a strategy he and George had discussed beforehand. The jury would consist of twelve jurors and twelve alternate jurors. Three days before the trial, they would be randomly selected from citizens of various industries within Ames City. The court would then review their personal information to determine who would serve. These were all ordinary citizens, yet the majority of people in Ames City were religious, mostly devout. Knowing that Zhang Qingyuan had refused to pay the donation, they would undoubtedly side with the plaintiff. With a jury involved, they were bound to win!
However, unexpectedly, after the judge inquired, Qin Mu had also agreed to introduce a jury. Xu Liming was at a complete loss; he just couldn’t understand what Qin Mu was playing at.
"This lawyer... what is he trying to do?" George felt the same way, muttering to himself as he stared at Qin Mu, his face full of confusion.
BANG.
Suddenly, the judge, whose name was Anthony, struck his gavel, interrupting everyone’s thoughts.
"Since the pretrial inquiry shows that both parties agree to the introduction of a jury, the trial in three days will officially involve the jury," he announced gravely.
"Over the next three days, the court will randomly select twenty-four potential jurors. The list will be submitted to both parties. If there are any objections to the names on this list, please communicate with the court promptly to arrange for replacements."
Upon hearing this, George nodded.
On the defendant’s side, Qin Mu also nodded, indicating he understood.
The very existence of a jury served to limit the power of a judge, effectively creating a panel of "super-judges." These individuals, though not legal experts, could participate in the trial and render verdicts.
Similarly, the selection process itself required strict adherence to regulations. First, the court would randomly draw potential jurors from various professions. Then, this list would be provided to the lawyers for both the plaintiff and the defendant, who could then offer their opinions on whether these individuals should serve. At this stage, either party possessed veto power, allowing them to unconditionally exclude a potential juror. After a veto, the court would need to select new candidates, and the vetting process by both legal teams would continue until, eventually, the final list of twelve official jurors and twelve alternates was confirmed.
"Alright, now onto the next agenda item..."
In the courtroom, seeing both George and Qin Mu nod, the judge continued to preside over the meeting.
「Two hours later.」
Outside the courthouse, Qin Mu, Chen Tiankuo, Zhang Qingyuan, and Feng Cuihua emerged, having attended the pretrial conference. frёewebnoѵēl.com
Actually, once the decision to involve a jury had been made, the rest of the meeting’s content felt somewhat insignificant. Yet, the atmosphere among their group was heavy. Chen Tiankuo was silent, and Zhang Qingyuan and Feng Cuihua also kept their heads down, not speaking. The three of them were still trying to understand the profound implications of agreeing to a jury. However, despite thinking long and hard, they still couldn’t figure it out. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"This... Mr. Qin, our supporting the introduction of a jury as well, wasn’t that a bit hasty?"
Finally, Chen Tiankuo couldn’t hold back any longer and voiced his concern to Qin Mu. Once the jury got involved, from his perspective, it was an entirely detrimental situation. Having spent over a decade abroad, he was well aware of how juries operated. The system appeared fair and just on the surface, but in practice, it was fraught with numerous issues.
The court’s primary principle for randomly selecting jurors stipulated that any citizen over eighteen years of age, residing within the jurisdiction of the court where the case was being heard, could serve.
