Critical Analysis Of Bit Of An Edge Cleek

In her article, Bit of an Edge, Cleek discusses a variety of angles concerning jury selection, explaining the pros and cons of selecting a jury and hiring a consultant and the implications of jury selection on the American justice system. Cleek is able to provide insight into some key questions that revolve around the use of jury selection by both lawyers and professional jury consultants. The first of these key questions being answered is what traits are desirable in a potential juror. While Cleek doesn’t outright answer this question with a list of characteristics, she does name one key attribute almost every lawyer or consultant looks for in a juror: leadership. Leadership seemed to be the key trait that was always sought out, and from there lawyers or consultants would then look at ways of

This is seemingly the only trait that carries over from case to case, as Cleek describes the many other ways jurors are selected, with the basis of their selection ranging from superstition to a somewhat scientific approach. Outlined in her article, Cleek mentions a lawyer who would deselect a juror based simply on the basis of them wearing a bowtie, and in other cases consultants who would drive by the potential juror’s home to see bumper stickers. In many cases, jury selection can be as shallow as a person’s appearance or as in-depth as a full online sweep of the juror’s social media and where they live. Additionally, the question of how just it is to use a jury consultant is answered as well. The exuberant cost of a jury consultant is something that Cleek mentions various times throughout the article, and she acknowledges that jury selection could turn into another systematic advantage of the wealthy in the American justice