KentuckyJury Nullification
Kentucky's constitution says that in libel cases the jury has the right to determine the law and the facts, under the direction of the court. The Court of Justice's handbook for jurors says the judge declares the law and jurors determine the facts. State law sets a jury of twelve in Circuit Court and six in District Court. A unanimous verdict is required in every criminal jury trial.
Overview
Juries in Kentucky
Kentucky's Court of Justice gives every juror a handbook called You, The Jury. It says the judge must declare the law as it is and the jurors determine the facts under that law. A state statute requires a unanimous verdict in all criminal trials by jury.
The Kentucky constitution has a section on libel cases that speaks to the jury and the law. It gives the jury the right to determine the law and the facts, and the same sentence adds under the direction of the court, as in other cases. What that section covers is in the Kentucky chapter of the guide.
The statute that requires a unanimous criminal verdict also sets the size of the jury. It is twelve in Circuit Court and six in District Court. When a jury can be smaller, and how far, is in the chapter.
The Kentucky chapter
What's in the Guide for Kentucky?
Jury selection
What Kentucky's handbook tells a person about setting personal convictions aside, how many jurors sit in each court, and how small a jury can become when both sides agree.
What the judge tells you
What the handbook for jurors says about the law and about a juror's own opinion of what the law should be. The chapter explains why it works from the handbook, which is a booklet given to jurors and not a charge read from the bench.
How the verdict works
What a unanimous verdict asks of a Kentucky jury, what the handbook says happens when jurors cannot agree, and what it tells a juror never to do for the sake of reaching a verdict.
Protections and risks
What Kentucky law says about people who try to reach a juror outside the trial, and about anyone who offers a juror money or another benefit.
The law in plain English
The Kentucky laws behind the chapter in everyday words. They include the statute on the number of jurors and the number needed for a verdict, the statute that lets the Supreme Court make the rules for juries, the laws on jury tampering and on bribing a juror, and two sections of the state constitution.
Official state resources
Links to Kentucky's official sources, each one checked. They cover the statutes and constitution on the legislature's site, the Court of Justice's handbook You, The Jury, and its Jury Service page.
Your summons
Called for Jury Duty in Kentucky?
A Kentucky jury summons asks you to come to court and, if you are picked, to determine the facts of a case under the law the judge declares. The jury is twelve people in Circuit Court and six in District Court.
The Kentucky Court of Justice has a Jury Service page and publishes the booklet You, The Jury. They cover reporting, who can serve, and what to expect in court.
Those cover the day itself. What the constitution says about the jury in libel cases, what the handbook says about your own view of the law, and what Kentucky law says about anyone who tries to reach a juror are covered in the Kentucky chapter of the guide.
Your Kentucky summons
- Sent byThe chief circuit judge of your county
- Names come fromRegistered voters, licensed drivers and Kentucky resident tax return filers
- It asks you toCome to court and, if you are picked, determine the facts of a case under the law the judge declares
- Jury size12 (Circuit Court), 6 (District Court)