jury trial

noun

: a trial that is decided by a jury

I demand my right to a jury trial.

Examples of jury trial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lourens’ lawsuit seeks more than roughly $200,000 in damages and demands a jury trial, the complaint shows. —Julia Marnin, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Feb. 2025

The jury trial for a Kansas City mother whose 5-year-old son died after falling from a 17th-story window has been moved to June 23. —Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 2025

The ensuing jury trial, however, found only Barrow serving prison time — nine years — for charges that included criminal possession of a weapon. —Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2025

Rocky, 36, previously turned down a plea deal from prosecutors on Tuesday, Jan. 21, opting for a jury trial instead of pleading guilty to one of two felony charges for assault with a semiautomatic firearm. —Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 25 Jan. 2025

Rhymes for jury trial

• denial
• mistrial
• posttrial
• pretrial
• retrial
• dial
• rial
• thiol
• vial
• sensorial
• supervisorial

Legal Definition

jury trial

noun

: a trial in which a jury serves as the trier of fact

called also trial by jury

compare bench trial

Note: The right to a jury trial is established in the U.S. Constitution, but it is not an absolute right. The Supreme Court has stated that petty crimes (as those carrying a sentence of up to 6 months) do not require trial by jury. The right to a jury trial in a criminal case may be waived by the “express and intelligent consent” of the defendant, usually in writing, as well as, in federal cases, the approval of the court and consent of the prosecutor. There is no right to a jury trial in equity cases. When a civil case involves both legal and equitable issues or procedure, either party may demand a jury trial (and failure to do so is taken as a waiver), but the judge may find that there is no right to a jury trial because of equitable issues or claims.