Jury Trials. On June 16, 1986, the director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts notified all federal district courts that no civil jury trials could be initiated until the end of the fiscal year (September 30) due to lack of funds with which

Question

to pay the jurors. Armster and others claimed that the consequent delay (of three and a half months) in scheduling a jury trial violated the Seventh Amendment right to a civil jury trial. The Justice Department maintained that although the Sixth Amendment guarantees a speedy criminal jury trial, the Seventh Amendment does not guarantee a speedy civil jury trial. The Justice Department further noted that district courts have postponed civil jury trials before, although for other reasons—such as court-calendar congestion, the lack of a sufficient number of judges, and the priority accorded to trying criminal cases before civil actions. Discuss whether the suspension of civil jury trials for a period of three and a half months due to lack of funds to pay jurors violates the constitutional right to a trial by jury. Are people always entitled to a jury trial in civil lawsuits?

Answer 1

Jury trials
Yes, the suspension of civil jury trials for a period of three and a half months for budgetary reasons does violate the Seventh Amendment. The court stated that the Seventh Amendment is violated whenever an individual is not afforded, for a significant period of time, a jury trial that he or she would otherwise receive. Three and a half months were construed to be more than a "significant period of time." The court further concluded that the availability of constitutional rights does not carry a "price tag" and that individual liberties, as mandated by the Constitution, cannot be affected by budget shortages or other variations in the balance of accounts in the national Treasury. A civil trial can be held without a jury. The Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a jury trial in a civil suit in federal courts only when the damages sought exceed the amount of $20. The same basic guaranty applies in state courts, although many states put a higher dollar amount than the federal minimum of $20.