The Right to a Trial by Jury? Think Again.

Across the US, in both criminal and civil courts, jury trials are growing rarer and rarer. A recent New York Times article noted that in three of New York’s federal courts (two in the city and one in nearby White Plains) “the vanishing of criminal jury trials has never seemed so pronounced.” Lauren-Brooke Eisen, senior counsel in the Brennan Center’s Justice Program, explains why justice is increasingly being served behind closed doors, and what that means for both plaintiffs and defendants.