THE BILL OF RIGHTS:
THE FIRST TEN AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
AND THE CLOSEST CONNECTION TO YOUR LIFE
“THE SIXTH AND SEVENTH
AMENDMENTS”
THE SIXTH AMENDMENT
• In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and
public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime
shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously
ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the
accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have
compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the
Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
• You have the right to have a trial within a reasonable time frame, and not
have to wait out years of persecution to determine your innocence or
guilt, and to have such a trial in the area of where the crime was
committed.
• You have the right to be told what crime you are being charged with
• You have the right to a public trial where you can question witnesses
against you, and provide witnesses to defend you.
• You have the right to an attorney
THE SIXTH AMENDMENT
• The case study I have regarding the Sixth Amendment is one where
President Obama makes a statement regarding sexual harassment in the
military.
• At the end of this speech, his statements are very direct about his
expectations regarding what should occur to individuals accused of this
crime. But, is this not depriving them of their Sixth Amendment right to a
fair trial?
• When a trial gets a lot of publicity, particularly on a national level, such as
the Casey Anthony case, is it even possible to receive a fair trial? And from
there begs the question of can we even determine guilt based on actual
circumstances with this bias in mind? Can anyone receive an impartial
and fair trial?
THE SEVENTH AMENDMENT
• In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty
dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a
jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than
according to the rules of the common law.
• Guarantees the right to a jury in a civil, not a criminal trial, if the value in
question is over $ 20.00
THE SEVENTH AMENDMENT
• The Seventh Amendment is perhaps the most antiquated of the Bill of Rights
• When it was written, $20.00 was perhaps the equivalent of $1,000.00 today.
• Now, no one would sue anyone else for anything less than $20.00 because the
court costs alone would be $500.00 or more. This basically gives the right to a
jury trial in civil cases in any case.
• The case study we are examining in relation to the Seventh Amendment deals
with a Republican initiative to place limits on the amounts juries can award in
cases of medical malpractice.
• The member of the House of Representatives who is speaking is concerned that
in cases where the malpractice is connected to a criminal act, it is violating the
victim’s Seventh Amendment rights for a jury to determine the amount of
damages, and it not be limited by the federal government.