Kyle Rittenhouse: Why Trial by Jury is important to the foundation of our democracy

 I won't make any statements about the morality of Kyle Rittenhouse's verdict. Plenty of other people are doing that and I don't want to be a part of the mess that's going on regarding that. 

What I do want to present in this article is why I think his verdict is correct, at least in the constitutional sense. This is purely because of one thing: he was tried by a jury of his peers. The constitution sets this practice as our fundamental right as free citizens of America. Did you know that not every country has a system where defendants are tried by a jury of their peers? In those countries, the verdict is based on a consensus of professional judges. I believe that, as Americans, we should be much more appreciative of this. We should appreciate what trial by jury actually means to us as a people.

Trial by jury means that corruption is much harder to achieve. Trial by jury ensures that an individual or group of professionals cannot make a ruling based on external pressures--a fact that was increasingly prevalent in this case. Most of all, trial by jury democratizes the court system and gives individual citizens a chance to have a say in the proceedings of the law. This final fact is what separates America's court system from those that do not go through trial by jury.

A jury's verdict is based on deliberation between individuals of different backgrounds and experiences. These individuals come together to decide on what they believe the law says and what they believe the defendant deserves. 

In Twelve Angry Men, a play by Reginald Rose, one sees the serious deliberations and thought that goes into a trial by jury. Each individual juror has a different take, a different attitude, and a different stance on the matter at hand. Only when they come together as one, will they be able to make sense of the case. Understand that, for a jury to make a decision, it must be unanimous. So even the most ardent supporter from the other side of the question must be convinced. This is why juries are magical. This is why the constitution sets up trial by jury as the fundamental right.

Unlike a police shooting, where a single officer misuses society's trust in him, a trial by jury is sacred. You can call the killing of George Floyd a travesty. However, a decision made by a jury is sacred, no matter the outcome and no matter your stance on the matter. This is what the law is based on, and the moment politics can affect the decision made by a jury regarding a case is the moment when we lose our freedoms as Americans. 

So, appreciate the verdict, even if you are against it in principle. It has been decided on by the very real power of the people of America.