Jury trial

What jury trial means

Put simply, jury trial is part of the working vocabulary of a civil case. The short definition above covers the usual meaning. Still, a specific rule, statute or contract can give it a narrower meaning. For that reason, check how it is used in your own documents.

Where jury trial comes up

For example, the term appears in these procedures:

• Jury Demand (Fed. R. Civ. P. 38(b)): a written demand for a jury trial on issues triable by a jury.
• Requests for Jury Instructions (Fed. R. Civ. P. 51): written requests asking the court to give the jury specific instructions on the law that applies to the case.

How to research the term

Start with the primary source. For example, if jury trial appears in a federal rule, read the rule itself and its official notes. After that, check your court’s local rules and any standing orders from the judge. In addition, search recent decisions from your own state or federal district. They show how courts read jury trial in practice. Because state rules often differ, our state procedures guide links to each state’s official rules. Above all, make sure the version you read is still in force.

You can read the official rule text online for free.

Related legal terms

• Demand: an assertion of a right or a claim, calling on another person to do something.
• Jury: a group of citizens sworn to decide questions of fact and return a verdict.
• Trial by jury: the right to have a jury decide the facts.
• Voir dire: the process of questioning prospective jurors to select a jury. Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 47(a), the court may let the parties or their lawyers examine prospective jurors or may examine them itself.
• Peremptory challenge: a party's right to excuse a prospective juror without stating a reason. In federal civil cases, each party is entitled to three peremptory challenges under 28 U.S.C. § 1870. Peremptory challenges may not be used to exclude jurors because of race or sex.

Why precise terms matter

Legal words often look like everyday words, but they can carry a precise meaning. Because of that, a small misreading can change how you understand a deadline, a duty or a right. Our glossary keeps each definition short and links it to the procedures where it matters.