A Military jury (or "Members", in military parlance) serves a function similar to a civilian jury, but with several notable differences. Unlike civilian courts, "Members" of the panel are literally "judge-and-jury" in a Military tribunal, due to the role that they play in a General Court-Martial (which is akin to criminal felony trials for civilians) or Special Court-Martial (which is similar to criminal misdemeanor trials for civilians). The panel — in addition to arriving at a verdict — also has the responsibility of sentencing the accused (military parlance for "the defendant"), should the accused be found guilty of the charges which have been brought forward by the "Trial Counsel" (or prosecuting attorney), which will happen to be a JAG.

Mechanics

---

Jury composition

A trio of members may suffice for a Special Court-Martial proceeding, even though greater numbers are allowed. Unlike civilian juries, the Military jury may consist of more than a dozen members. For a General Court-Martial to proceed, there must be at least five members present.

Nowadays, a "jury of one's peers" are commonplace for civilian criminal trials to proceed. However, Court-martial Members are typically commissioned officers, unless the accused elects that the member pool include enlisted personnel.

More on [ Military jury ]

NPR Topics: Arts & Entertainment

'Twilight': For Teens, A Swooningly Risky Romance
Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:01:00 -0500
Morning Edition's movie critic is not, and never has been, a 13-year-old girl. But Catherine Hardwicke's dead-on screen take on Stephenie Meyer's vampire books makes him wish he could be — if only to get the full effect.
'Bolt': A Show-Biz Hero With More Bark Than Bite
Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:00:00 -0500
An animal actor, convinced his TV-show superpowers are real, scrambles to find his way from New York back to Hollywood. Kids will have a fine time, says critic Mark Jenkins, but adults might develop an allergy.
'Were The World Mine': 'Tis Definitely Fairy Time
Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:00:00 -0500
How's a much-bullied gay teen to get his revenge? Well, if he's starring in a musicalized A Midsummer Night's Dream, and he stumbles upon a working formula for Puck's love potion ...

NYT > Arts

Music: How Axl Rose Spent All That Time
Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:21:18 -0000
“Chinese Democracy” is the Titanic ship of rock albums: It’s outsize, lavish, obsessive, technologically advanced and, all too clearly, the end of an era.
Music Review: Making Girls Dance: All in a Night’s Work
Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:23:39 -0000
Girl Talk set off instant pandemonium as its set began at Terminal 5.
Book Prizes Awarded With Nod to History
Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:04:41 -0000
Annette Gordon-Reed won the National Book Award for nonfiction for “The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family,” while Peter Matthiessen won the fiction award for “Shadow Country.”

Arts & Culture

Sasha Frere-Jones: Political beats.
Sasha Frere-Jones Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:00:00 -0000
After Barack Obama conceded defeat at the New Hampshire primary last January, the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am selected quotes from his concession speech and set them to music--sort of. The video for Will.i.am’s “Yes We Can” features a clutch of celebrities singing (or speaking), over Obama and a few . . .
Sasha Frere-Jones: Pink's progress.
Sasha Frere-Jones Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:00:00 -0000
Funhouse,” the new album by Alecia Moore, who calls herself Pink, has already spawned an enormous hit--her first solo No. 1 in the U.S.--called “So What,” an explosion of brattiness and rock-star entitlement that is both maddening and hard to shake. There are cracks in “Funhouse,” though . . .
Peter Schjeldahl: The New Orleans Biennial beckons.
Peter Schjeldahl Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:00:00 -0000
New Orleans is smaller and poorer than it used to be, as I have confirmed on my first visit there since the floods attendant on Hurricane Katrina obliterated a large part of the city and left much of the rest a mud-gray mess, traces of which aren’t hard to . . .

Christian Science Monitor | Arts & Entertainment

Jazz in the spotlight
Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:00:00 -0500
Some old-timers impress with their strengths and some one-of-a-kind talents display growing versatility.
New York's freshest shows
Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:00:00 -0500
From ancient sculpture to Van Gogh's night inspirations, the best of this season's art.
Six Picks: Recommendations from the Monitor staff
Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:00:00 -0500
Classic puzzlers in a crisp new book, Jack Bauer is back in a '24' movie, Stephen Colbert croons his way into Christmas, and more.

Subscribe to Adult RSS feed