Juries

Many states use a twelve-person jury as the standard size for all criminal cases, whereas others require only six jurors if it is a noncapital case.

• Discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of the juries of various sizes and the impact of states using different standards.Review Roper v. Simmons (2005). In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty could not be applied to defendants who were under eighteen years of age at the time of their crime.
• Discuss the reasoning used in this case, focusing on the line that is drawn between a seventeen-year-old and an eighteen-year-old defendant.
• Share your thoughts on whether there should be any other restrictions against imposing the death penalty on a defendant. Read and comment upon the posts of at least two classmates and respond to follow-up posts posted by other students

Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005).