User:Xbuckx

Seventh Amendment article. Bill of Rights Amendment report On September 25, 1798, twenty seven amendments to the Bill of Rights were passed by congress, and then ratified on December 15, 1791. Among these amendments, is the seventh. Made in 1791, this amendment gives you the right to bring a case that exceeds twenty dollars to a jury of your peers for a fair trial. In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury, shall not be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the common law. Basically, in cases that exceed twenty dollars, you can have your trial tried by a jury of your peers. What ever the verdict, the case cannot be used as an example in other cases. Instead of having a judge decide the verdict, you can put your case in front of a jury. The Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a jury in a civil – as opposed to criminal – trial. “Historically, the right to a jury has been one of the most accepted of all of the amendments in the Bill of Rights. It was included in the original Jamestown charter of 1607, and by 1776 all thirteen colonies protected the right in some form. The biggest commotion caused by the right to a jury occurred when it was left out of the new Constitution.” In Our Defense by Ellen Alderman and Caroline Kennedy. In history, a single judge rather than a jury of sympathetic colonists would decide Vice-admiralty court cases. During the sugar act, prosecutors were trying smuggling cases in vice-admiralty courts. Vice-admiralty courts were unjust because the judges received five percent of the contraband that was confiscated from the convicted smugglers. This made the judges make more convictions. By making the Seventh Amendment, it protected the people from corrupt judges and gave them fair trials. When this amendment was made they thought of the people. Also, the seventh amendment helped get rid of the amount of corrupt judge who were only there to get a share of stolen and smuggled contraband. A Supreme Court case of Janice E. Hetzel v. Prince William County, Virginia, and Charlie T. Deane used the Seventh Amendment. On remand, the district court recalculated the damages and awarded petitioner $50,000. Petitioner filed a motion for a new trial in which she declined the award. She argued that in reducing her damages, the Court of Appeals in effect had offered her a remittitur, and that she was therefore entitled to a new trial under the seventh amendments guaranty of a right to a trial by jury. Respondents agreed that the Court of Appeals’ decision functioned as a remittitur, but contended that the decision did not allow petitioner the option of a new trial. Petitioner contends that this action of the Court of Appeals violated her Seventh Amendment to a jury trial. The relevance of this case of Janice E. Hetzel v. Prince William County, Virginia, and Charlie T. Deane is that Ms. Hetzel tried to use her Seventh Amendment right to get a new trial in front of a jury. The Court of Appeals Respondents agreed the decision did not allow Ms. Hetzel the option of a new trial. Ms. Hetzel wanted a new trial because the Court of Appeals reduced her damages. The Seventh Amendment can relate to our lives if we ever file a suit against some one for more that twenty dollars, we have the right to take the case in front of a jury of our peers. The Seventh Amendment focuses on giving citizens fair trials by their peers in cases involving twenty of grater dollars. While it can be used to try to attain more money, it is a lot better than single judge vice-admiralty courts where depending on the contraband, you can have a very unfair trial, which why the Seventh Amendment is a good amendment. By XbuckX. 11/9/2005.