Many of these books can be easily found in print at a wide variety of book sellers or in e-book format. Some, however, are out of print. You may be able to find them through your local library, interlibrary loan, or via an online service specializing in finding used books.
If you purchase one of these books through Amazon, please consider purchasing through Amazon Smile either directly from their website or on the Amazon shopping app with the Fully Informed Jury Association as your charity of choice. You will have access to the same variety of goods and services through the Amazon Smile website (smile.amazon.com) and at the same prices as buying through the regular site. The difference is that Amazon will donate 0.5% (or .005 times the price) to FIJA from each eligible purchase (eligible books and other items on the site labeled "Eligible for amazonsmile donation.") you make if you have selected us as your recipient charity. It's not a huge amount, but right now we are getting $100-200 per year from them which certainly helps!
Books on Trial by Jury in General
- The Missing American Jury by Suja Thomas
This book provides a more recent snapshot of the American jury system, with special emphasis on its decline due to meddling by the federal executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as their state analogs. An excellent stand-alone survey of trial by jury in America, or works well paired with The American Jury for those who want a more in-depth look at how the system has changed in the last several decades.
- The American Jury by Harry Kalven, Jr. and Hans Zeisel
One review I read of this classic work boldly asserted that one must read this book if one wants to be taken seriously about juries. If that is an exaggeration, it's not that much of one. This book is one of the products of the most comprehensive study of the American jury system ever conducted. Although a bit dated (it was published in 1966), this is an excellent foundational work for study of the American jury system.
- Trial by Jury by Patrick Devlin
This book is one of a series of books published by the Hamlyn Trust. It is based on the eighth in a series of lecture topics hosted by the Hamlyn Trust on the subject of legal reform. The original lectures were delivered by the author at London University in 1956. It covers early history of trial by jury, its composition, and various aspects of the function of the jury, including its ability to deliver verdicts contrary to the law (known commonly in the United States as jury nullification). Though written from a distinctly British perspective, it does contain some brief comparisons to the American jury system.
Books About Jury Nullification
General Works
- An Essay on Trial by Jury by Lysander Spooner
- Jury Nullification: Evolution of a Doctrine by Clay Conrad
- Juries: Conscience of the Community by Mara Taub
Jury Nullification Regarding Specific Law and Cases
Philadelphia Treason Trials
- The Trials of Allegiance by Carlton F. W. Larson
Vietnam Era Peace Activist Trials
- Peace Warriors: The Story of the Camden 28 by Edward McGowan
Trials for Violating the Fugitive Slave Acts
- Fugitive Justice: Runaways, Rescuers, and Slavery on Trial by Steven Lubet
- Shadrach Minkins: From Fugitive Slave to Citizen by Gary L. Collison
- The Jerry Rescue: The Fugitive Slave Law, Northern Rights, and the American Sectional Crisis by Angela F. Murphy
Other Books That Include Jury Nullification
- Justice before the Law by Michael Huemer
- Injustice for All: How Financial Incentives Corrupted and Can Fix the US Criminal Justice System by Chris W. Surprenant and Jason Brennan
- Revolutionary Dissent: How the Founding Generation Created the Freedom of Speech by Stephen D. Solomon
- The Conviction Factory: The Collapse of America's Criminal Courts by Roger Roots
Books about Other Specific Aspects of the Jury System
- Twenty Million Angry Men: The Case for Including Convicted Felons in Our Jury System by James M. Binnall
