Academics

Faculty members' book about jury duty garners positive review

A book co-authored by two Penn State faculty members has earned high praise for its analytical rigor and engaging prose from the “Harvard Law Review.”

Cindy Simmons, a senior lecturer in the Department of Journalism, and John Gastil, head of the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, served as co-authors of “The Jury and Democracy: How Jury Deliberation Promotes Civic Engagement and Political Participation” (2010, Oxford University Press). The book relied on an extensive dataset of voting and jury records from across the United States and found that there is an underlying relationship between individual juror experience and civic engagement, including the likelihood of voting in an election. 

According to the respected law review, the book “is a must-read for scholars and students of the American jury system, as well as anyone interested in the effect that citizen participation in government institutions has on the strength of a democratic society.”

The book portrays the commitment and seriousness with which jurors approach their civic duty and the generally positive and enduring views of their roles within political society.

“We are, to put it mildly, over the moon,” said Simmons of the positive review. “Most people say they want to get out of jury duty because of the time commitment. But with the interviews and surveys done for the book, we’ve shown it’s actually a very powerful experience for many people who serve.”

Additional co-authors were E. Pierre Deess, director of institutional research at New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Philip Weiser, dean of the law school at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Simmons joined the Penn State faculty this summer. She teaches reporting methods and mass media law in the College of Communications and legal journalism in Penn State Law. Her research focuses media law and First Amendment issues.

Prior to joining Penn State, she taught classes in journalism and negotiation at the University of Washington. During her 15-year career as a professional journalist, she was a managing editor, a wire service reporter and a radio news director.
 

Last Updated January 9, 2015

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