Harnessing the power of juries
Our guest this week argues that jury service is an important civic duty that could be used to expand democratic action and strengthen civic engagement.
Democracy Works · Sonali Chakravarti, Chris Beem, Jenna Spinelle, Candis Watts Smith
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Show Notes
Juries have been at the center of some of the most emotionally charged moments of political life, especially in high profile cases like the trial of Derek Chauvin for George Floyd's murder in 2021. This week, we explore juries as a democratic institution. Our guest, Sonali Chakravarti, argues that juries provide an important site for democratic action by citizens and that their use should be revived. She says juries could be a forward-looking institution that nurtures the best democratic instincts of citizens like examining their own perceptions and biases and engaging in dialogue and deliberation.
Chakravarti is a professor of government at Wesleyan University and the author of Radical Enfranchisement in the Jury Room and Public Life , published by the University of Chicago Press in 2020. Her work focuses on public participation in legal institutions and the relationship between law and politics.
Radical Enfranchisement in the Jury Room and Public Life
Chakravarti on the Chauvin trial - The Atlantic
How jurors can protect abortion access - Boston Review
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