Flaws in the American Judiciary Sysytem

Flaws in the American judiciary system lead to unfair trials and verdicts. Examples of this issue are shown in both productions of 12 Angry Men and To Kill A Mockingbird, as well as the book To Kill A Mockingbird. In both 12 Angry Men and To Kill A Mockingbird, there are two African Americans put on trial, and both are given an unfair trial because the juries and judges have prejudices against African Americans. Jurors are also heavily influenced by moral cowardice, or avoiding taking a principled stand for fear of the disapproval of others. 12 Angry Men and To Kill a Mockingbird depict trials that expose the flaws of the American judiciary system in the fact that juries are not always consisted of the defendant 's peers, judges and juries both have racist views, and juries are influenced by moral cowardice. Trials held in America at the time of these two productions were never fair to African Americans because of the makeup, views, and general nature of juries. Juries never could fully understand the views and motives of the defendant because they were not consisted of the defendant’s peers. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Tom Robinson was convicted by a jury made up of middle-aged, white men, so they were unable to understand and view the case from Tom’s point of view. When talking to Scout, Atticus says that most people in Maycomb believe that white people are superior to black people, and that is how it is in court as well. He says,,