The role of the jury in the case will be to advise Smith. How much a judge will rely on advisory juries varies, according to an article in the Harvard Law Review. With a jury, you have a cross section of the community. They're somewhat less predictable than a judge. A judge, no matter how fair they try to be, they get reputations, proclivities, after they've been on the bench for a while.
Judges are subject to prejudices just like any other individual.
With juries, you've got a group mentality. You've got to convince everyone or none. U.S. Attorney Michael Bradford of Beaumont, who will help defend the government, said having a jury will force government attorneys to change their tactics. We want to make sure that the jury will have the necessary background. E.W. Scripps Publications , All Rights Reserved.