The Seventh Amendment

"In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law."

This amendment guarantees jury trials in cases that deprive one's life and liberty - criminal prosecution for death and felony in property cases.  The founders of the Constitution saw the juries as a check for federal judges.  Judges can decide 4 things.  1. decides the issue of the law.  2. moves to decide equitable relief.  3. Jury decides guilt or innocence as judge decides how evidence can be used.  4. if a judge believes that jury have disregarded evidence he can overrule and start the trial over.  Although the value for suits is now over 70,000, and that is because they are trying to keep people out of court rooms.  This amendment is important because it makes sure that the criminal trials are fair for the ones being prosecuted.  Like stated before, the jury and the judge are like checks on each other.

This cartoon proves that everyone eventually will have to do jury duty at least once in their life.  Eventually you will be called upon to serve and there is nothing that you will be able to do.  

This just depicts that the jury made up of your peers has to be one of all different backgrounds, to make sure that no one person has the same biased opinion.  They want to choose people that are all different so that they can span the perspectives of all types.