legal word of the day: DEATH-QUALIFIED JURY

legal word of the day: DEATH-QUALIFIED JURY

POL:

ława przysięgłych, która może orzekać w sprawie, w której oskarżonemu grozi kara śmierci

ENG:

a jury in a criminal case whose members

are not categorically against the capital punishment (the death penalty)

don’t believe that the only fair punishment for capital murder is capital punishment, but are ready to consider life imprisonment as alternative punishment.

CAPITAL MURDER – zabójstwo zagrożone karą śmierci (murder that makes the perpetrator eligible for the death penalty)

LIFE IMPRISONMENT – dożywotnie pozbawienie wolności (sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in prison for the rest of his or her life or until paroled)

(1) Massachusetts outlawed the death penalty more than three decades ago; but in order to be selected for this trial from a pool of almost 2,000 potential jurors, each juror had to show that they were ‘death-qualified’, which means they said they were at least theoretically open to the idea of sentencing someone to death.

TO OUTLAW – zakazywać (to make something illegal)

TO SENTENCE SOMEONE TO DEATH – skazać kogoś na karę śmierci

(2) Chief among the issues is finding “death-qualified” jurors, meaning that one has to be willing, though not eager, to hand down a death sentence.

TO HAND DOWN A DEATH SENTENCE – skazać kogoś na karę śmierci

(3) Voir dire began, and the venire was "death qualified"--venire members were asked whether they could follow the law and impose the death penalty if the circumstances warranted. Seven members of the venire were excused because they stated that they would be unable in any circumstances to impose the death penalty.

VOIR DIRE – selekcja członków ławy przysięgłych (a jury selection)

VENIRE – grupa osób, z której wyłoniona będzie ława przysięgłych  (an entire panel from which a jury is drawn)

TO IMPOSE (punishment) – nakładać (karę) (to apply as compulsory)

TO BE WARRANTED – być uzasadnionym (to be reasonably justified)

TO BE EXCUSED – być zwolnionym (to be released from a duty)