American Corner Innsbruck
Lecture by Mag. Philipp Prantl
A QUEST FOR JUSTICE: THE AMERICAN JURY SYSTEM AND ITS REPRESENTATION IN AMERICAN FILM
Nov. 14, 2007, 7 p.m.
On November
14, 2007, the American Corner Innsbruck invited to its first talk in the field of
“Law and the Humanities.” After welcoming words by
Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Gudrun
Grabher, Mag. Philipp Prantl gave a talk about the “American Jury System and
Its Representation in American Film.” First, Mag. Prantl talked about the history
of the jury system including its origin in ancient Greece, the Magna Carta that guaranteed jury trials, and the exportation of the jury
system to the colonies of Great Britain. Afterwards, he presented the American jury system. Mag. Prantl dealt with the Sixth and the Seventh
Amendment, and explained that about 80 percent of all jury trials worldwide
take place in the United States. He said that until the 1990s people
used to be eliminated from the jury on the basis of race and gender. After
having reported on the jury’s role in the courtroom, jury manipulation, and
jury nullification with its positive as well as its negative sides, Mag. Prantl
used film clips of Twelve Angry Men and
A Time to Kill in order to illustrate
some aspects of the American jury system , such as its arbitrariness, and the
question of race in a jury trial.
More than 40 people, Americans and jurists amongst them, carefully listened to the interesting talk by Mag. Prantl, and afterwards enjoyed a glass of wine and snacks while discussing the American jury system.
(text: Christine Nagel)
