Common Law and the Jury System

1
Chapter 14

• Common Law and the Jury System

2
Pre-listening

• Warm-up Questions
• 1) Do you know anything about the U.S. jury
  system?
• 2) Say something about the case of O. J. Simpson.
• 3) Describe a Chinese court/trial.

3
Pre-listening

• Vocabulary and Key Concepts
• Read through the sentences and figure out what
  words would fit in the blanks. Then check your
  answers by listening to a dictation of the full
  sentences.
• (See the sentences in the textbook on
  page144---145 )

4
Pre-listening

• Predictions
• Using the pictures in your textbook and the
  vocabulary exercises as a starting point, write 3
  questions that you think you can get answers in
  the lecture. (Answers vary)

5
Pre-listening

• Note-taking Preparation
• 1.prelecture reading
• no
• many Beth Whitehead-Gould
• 2
• no
• because of the nature of the law, courts will be
  obligated to base future decisions on decisions
  made in this case.

6
Pre-listening

• 2. courtroom language
• a. court reporter
• b. judge
• c. witness
• d. jury
• f. bailiff
• g. plaintiff/ prosecutor
• h. courtroom clerk

7
Post-listening

• Answer the following questions.
• Under the U.S. legal system, is an accused person
  guilty until proven innocent or innocent until
  proven guilty? (Innocent until proven guilty)
• On which legal system is the U.S. legal system
  based? (British common law)
• How many people are ordinarily on a jury? (6-12)
• In a civil case involving property or contracts,
  who ordinarily decides who is at fault and how
  much, if any, must be paid in damage? (a jury)
• In which kind of trial is the defendant required
  to testify, civil or criminal? (civil)

8
Post-listening

• In which kind of trial must the degree of proof
  be higher, civil or criminal? (criminal)
• What is a judges main responsibility at a trial?
  (to see that the trial is conducted according to
  law)
• What is the jurys main responsibility? (to
  decide whether they believe the testimony that
  here and whether the evidence presented to them
  is valid.)
• What percentage of all legal cases, both civil
  and criminal, is settled out of court? (about
  80)
• Why does the state so often allow accused people
  to plea-bargain? (because its difficult to prove
  people are guilty and because trials are so
  expensive to conduct.)

9
Oral Activities

• Discuss with your classmates on the following
  questions.
• Why do people say trial cost a lot money
• Summarize all the words related to court.
• Summarize the lecture.

10
Post-listening

• Written Work
• Write a summary of the lecture within 250 words.

11
Homework

• Film Twelve angry men.