Former public defender Ferguson (law, Univ. of the District of Columbia; coauthor, Youth Justice in America) offers an inspiring perspective on jury duty. Using a combination of personal narrative, political science, and American history, he moves beyond the simple argument that jury duty is a civic responsibility and something to be endured for the good of the justice system. Instead, Ferguson situates jury duty as an opportunity for citizens to exercise foundational American values such as fairness, equality, participation, deliberation, and liberty. Jury duty brings together people from different races and different classes on equal footing. He explains that through service on a jury, a person can practice skills that are valuable for citizenship. VERDICT Ferguson presents a new kind of handbook for potential jurors. Accessible and easy to read, the book is written for the average citizen who might be called to serve on a jury.-Rachel Bridgewater, Portland Community Coll. Lib., OR (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Jury duty is a phrase sure to elicit eye rolls and groans from those summoned to service. Still, it remains one of our most important roles to fulfill as citizens and a right that people have valued since the middle ages. Ferguson, a veteran lawyer and law professor, outlines the importance of the jury in the legal system, how the right to trial by jury helped push the American Revolution forward, and how civil rights advances that created a more balanced jury pool have resulted in fairer trials for all. The subject of jury duty is a dry one and while Ferguson does his best to elevate the topic, he can't make it a compelling one unless the reader is already actively interested in the jury portion of the legal process. While the book is definitely written for laypeople in terms of prose style, it requires an enthusiastic ear. Though this book will lose the attention of most readers, the dedicated and wonk-minded will learn a great deal about our legal system. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

To most Americans, participating in the governing system means voting; but when it comes to jury duty, most Americans dread the summons to participate in a key democratic component of the political system. Ferguson (David A. Clarke School of Law, Univ. of the District of Columbia) relates the common values and history of jury duty in a personal and scholarly approach, and at the same time argues for more citizen understanding and engagement in a little understood but critical component of the democratic republic. By relating jury duty to core values of American democracy, Ferguson presents a thorough overview of the value of citizen participation in the judicial system. All along, Ferguson weaves constitutional principles, such as fairness, equality, the common good, and judicial accountability, into a polemic for citizen awareness and engagement, especially by using specific cases and events that present a comprehensive understanding of the judicial process. While students and scholars may find the information basic at times, Ferguson seeks to capture the attention of a broader audience, and does so through a personal and scholarly approach that is adequate to understanding the judicial, and more broadly, constitutional system of self-governance. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. J. Michael Bitzer Catawba College

An investigation and celebration of what we so often rue: jury duty. Former public defender Ferguson (Law/Univ. of the District of Columbia) takes jury duty seriously but not in an admonitory, finger-wagging sense. He wants readers to appreciate the brilliance of the jury process as civic engagement, an act of public virtue, due process and accountability. Ferguson witnesses the process daily, and he serves it forth here to readers with enthusiasm: "I watch as constitutional ideals such as civic participation, deliberation, fairness, equality, liberty, accountability, freedom of conscience, and the common good come alive through the practice of ordinary citizens." In each chapter, the author takes a constitutionally grounded principal and shows how it applies to jury duty. Jury participation teaches the skills required for democratic self-governance, it acquaints jurors with the rule of law and it promotes the equality of ideas. Ferguson is an artful booster for community involvement and social connection and an advocate for the ability to challenge any perceived infringement of rights; a copy of the Constitution is always ready at his hand. This is a book that makes you feel good about a system that requires this type of participation, in which we must reflect with clarity on the guilt or innocence of an individual. A genuine encouragement that speaks to the role juries play in our constitutional structure. ]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.