Hello my name is Chris Morales. I’m a criminal defense attorney in San Francisco, California. I’m a board certified specialist in criminal law. Today, I want to talk to you about your right to have a jury trial if you are accused of crimes and when it is appropriate to waive your right to a jury trial. So, the constitution says that every person who is accused of a crime in the United States has a right to a Jury Trial. What does that mean? That means that the prosecutor needs to bring evidence and testimony to a criminal court and present
that in front of twelve members of the community who are choose as jurors.Those jurors will listen to the evidence and then they will decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty. If the defendant – if they decide the defendant is guilty it has to be a unanimous verdict if only eleven jurors find that the defendant is guilty and one says no – says he is not guilty. Then there is no conviction. And if they find somebody guilty of a crime it has be beyond a reasonable doubt so it’s a very hard standard. There really can’t be
any questions as to the guilt and so that’s what happens when you choose to go to trial with a jury. Every once in a while it’s very, very, very rare you may want to waive your right to a jury trial and have your trial in front of a judge – one person. That’s very rare and I have found in my experience that only happens when the defense attorney lacks confidence in themselves and they don’t have the requisite experience and they somehow afraid of going and tackling a jury trial. So, be very, very, very careful if your defense
attorney recommends waiving your rights to a jury trial. You should almost never do that. If you have any questions about this or your constitutional right to have a jury trial please feel free to call me at (415) 552-1215. And be sure to follow the Morales Law Firm on LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
Your Right to a Jury Trial
Criminal Defense Attorney – Christopher Morales
Practice Area: The San Francisco Bay Area, California
Call us today for a free consultation (415) 552-1215 (Se Habla Español)
Website: www.sfcriminallawspecialist.com
