William T. Pizzi

The jury system is in need of reform, William T. Pizzi contends in the following viewpoint. According to Pizzi, the current jury system has caused many of the problems in the criminal justice system. He argues that several changes should be made, including eliminating peremptory challenges, allowing for greater user of nonunanimous verdicts, and replacing all-citizen juries with a mix of citizens and judges. Pizzi is a professor at the University of Colorado Law School in Boulder and the author of Trials Without Truth, from which the following viewpoint has been excerpted.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Why does Pizzi believe American trials lack focus?
2. What does the author think would be the benefits of replacing juries with mixed panels of citizens and judges?
3. According to the author, how do juries complicate appellate...