What are the principal purposes of trial by jury? Explain the use of peremptory challenges as a method to eliminate potential jurors from jury service.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Trial by an impartial jury of one's peers is an exalted American tradition and a Sixth Amendment right. Its principal purposes are as follows:
To protect citizens against arbitrary law enforcement
To prevent government oppression
To protect citizens from overzealous or corrupt prosecutors and from eccentric or biased judges
Preemptory challenges allow either prosecutors or defense attorneys to excuse jurors without having to provide a reason.
They are frequently used to eliminate jurors whose characteristics place them in a group likely to be unfavorable to the case of either the prosecution or the defense. For example, in death penalty cases, prosecutors often use their peremptory challenges to eliminate people of color and women from the juries, because, statistically, people of color and women are less likely to favor capital punishment. However, prosecutors must be careful in their use of peremptory challenges for such purposes because the Supreme Court has forbidden the use of peremptory challenges to exclude potential jurors solely on account of their race or gender. The number of peremptory challenges is limited by statute.