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The American Jury System: From the Magna Carta to Mcdonald’s 美国的陪审团制度：从大宪章到麦当劳一路走来

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

The American jury system has had its share of critics. For example, when a jury awarded an elderly woman US$2.7 million in damages after she scalded herself with McDonald’s coffee, many believed this indicated a flawed legal system at the mercy of fickle jury decisions. Nevertheless, the jury system is so deeply rooted in the American legal tradition that it has become a sacred cow.

美国的陪审团制度一向不是人人都满意的。譬如说，有一回陪审团同意一位老太太被麦当劳的热咖啡烫伤后得到二百七十万美元的损害赔偿，很多人相信这突显出法律制度的陪审团决议有漏洞，流于善变而不可信任。不过，陪审团制度已然深入美国的法律传统，如印度的圣牛般神圣不可侵犯。

The modern jury system has been traced back to medieval England and the Magna Carta of 1215. The right of a person accused of a crime to be tried before a “jury of his peers” was deemed necessary to erect a barrier against tyrannical exercises of authority. The implied reasoning is that members of a jury are more likely to be sympathetic towards a defendant than the state itself might be. Generally, juries are expected to determine matters of fact, as opposed to judges who are expected to determine matters of law.

现代陪审团制度可以追溯到中古时代的英国和1215年的英国大宪章。一个被控诉罪行的人有权利要求在他的一群「同侪陪审员」面前受审是必要的，以做为对抗独裁肆虐的屏障。其蕴含的意义是陪审团团员会比国家更同情被告。一般言之，相对于法官的职责是判决法律相关情事，陪审团员则是负责裁定事证。

This democratic principle came to America on the back of the English common law tradition and was formalized when the American colonies were establishing a national government. The right to a jury trial now finds its home in the sixth and fourteenth amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

这项民主法搭着英国普通法传统的顺风车来到美国，在美国由殖民地建立成国家政体的时候正式成为了成文法。如今美国宪法修正条款的第六条与第十四条是人民享有陪审团审判权利的依据所在。

Vocabulary

单词发音

Magna Carta【英】大宪章; 保障人民权利与自由的法令

award [əˋwɔrd] v. 授予，给予[（+to）]

scald [skɔld] v.（用沸水等）烫伤 to burn with or as if with hot liquid or steam

at the mercy of  任由某人/某事物摆布或控制  without any protection against; helpless before; subject to, open to, exposed to, vulnerable to, threatened by

fickle [ˋfɪk!] adj. 易变的，无常的 liable to sudden unpredictable change

sacred cow【口】不可批评的人(或思想、事物等); 不可修改的文稿; 不可批评或侵犯的人或物; 享有特权者 one that is immune from criticism, often unreasonably so

erect [ɪˋrɛkt] v. 树立；建立，设立 to construct by assembling

tyrannical [taɪˋrænɪk!] adj. 暴君的；专制君主的 marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior

reasoning [ˋriznɪŋ] n. 论据；理由

sympathetic [͵sɪmpəˋθɛtɪk] adj. 同情的；有同情心的

defendant [dɪˋfɛndənt] n.【律】被告[C]

Sentence of the Day

Juries are one part of the system of checks and balances which limits government power.

陪审团属于政府检覆制度的一部份，用以限制政府的权利。

课文讲解

While most Americans believe in the jury system, many would agree that jury duty itself is a heavy burden, All U.S. citizens over eighteen with exceptions, must be prepared to serve on a jury if called upon.

当大多数的美国人都信任陪审团制度时，也有很多人视陪审团责任为一个沉重的负担。所有18岁以上的美国公民，除了少数例外，一旦被征召，都必须准备好担任陪审团的团员。

Jury pools are chosen randomly from a list of registered voters in the country where the lawsuit was filed. To begin, potential jurors face hard questions from attorneys during voir dire. This is meant to create an impartial and representative jury by eliminating jurors who may be biased.

陪审团的团员是由提起诉讼案当地的有投票权公民名单中随机数选出。有可能去当陪审员的人在一开始预先审核【注】时，要面临检察官严峻的诘问。这是要藉由淘汰可能会有偏见的陪审员来组成一个公正且具代表性的陪审团。

To ensure impartiality, jurors are prohibited from publicly discussing the facts of the case. If the judge thinks a trial is getting too much publicity, he or she may sequester the jury. Once the jury has heard the evidence, the judge instructs the jurors on complex issues of law. Then the bailiff escorts the jurors to the jury room for deliberations. After they reach a verdict, which may take days, the bailiff ushers the jury back into the courtroom where their verdict is read in open court.

为确保中立，陪审团的团员不准公开讨论案情。如果法官认为一件审判的舆论闹得太大，可以要求隔离陪审团。一旦陪审团听证完毕，法官会告知各团员相关的复杂法律议题，然后法警陪同陪审团前往陪审团室进行审议。当他们完成了可能费时数天的裁定，法警会再陪同陪审团回到法庭来，公开宣读他们的裁决。

Although rarely exercised, jury nullification, when a defendant is found not guilty by a jury because the law under which they were charged is deemed unfair, remains a final check against state tyranny.

陪审团否弃法官判决，是指当陪审团认为适用的法律不公而改判被告无罪的情况，虽然很少执行，但仍然是对抗政府专横的最后一招。

－by William F. Levings

【注】voir dire 预备讯问；预先审核。此字是英文借自法语的外来语，原意是「大声说出来」，引申出「藉由大声说出来而得知真相」的意思。

Vocabulary

单词发音

call upon〔正式〕要求〔某人做某事〕to order; require

attorney [əˋtɝnɪ] n. 检察官

voir dire [vwɑrˈdɪr] 【法】【律】（证人和陪审团接受预先审查所作的）诚实回答宣誓 a preliminary examination of prospective jurors or witnesses under oath to determine their competence or suitability

impartial [ɪmˋpɑrʃəl] adj. 公正的，无偏见的 not partial or biased; unprejudiced

impartiality [͵ɪmpɑrʃɪˋælətɪ] n. 公平, 无私, 不偏

sequester [sɪˋkwɛstɚ] v. 使〔陪审团等〕与他人隔离; 使隔绝 to remove or set apart; segregate

bailiff [ˋbelɪf] n.【主美】法警

escort [ˋɛskɔrt] v. 护送；陪同 to accompany as an escort

deliberation [dɪ͵lɪbəˋreʃən] n. 审议，商议 thoughtful, careful, or lengthy consideration

verdict [ˋvɝdɪkt] n.【律】（陪审团的）裁决，裁定 an expressed conclusion; a judgment or opinion

usher [ˋʌʃɚ] v. 引，领 to lead or conduct

nullification [͵nʌləfəˋkeʃən] n. 无效，废弃，取消 the act of nullifying; making null and void

Sentence of the Day

Attorneys often give jurors the third degree during voir dire.

检察官通常给陪审团团员第三级的预先审核。