I believe that the U.S. Constitution is the greatest document ever written and it has always amazed me how the authors could have created this document so many years ago with no concept of how the world and the people in it would change over time.
The Sixth Amendment states that a person accused of a crime has the right to a presumption of innocence and the right to a trial by an “impartial jury.” There is no language stating what many people often misquote it as saying: by a jury of their peers.
Anyone who for one second believes that any jury made up of human beings does not present enormous problems for or against the accused is being very naive. Just look at the number of criminal cases before us now and in the past where juries in criminal cases comprised of human beings have been far from impartial. Can you say O.J. Simpson?
I am very aware of the problems with artificial intelligence based on who writes the program it uses, but I also believe that there are ways to make sure that it could render a totally impartial verdict in a criminal case. It’s certainly worth taking a look at.
Rick Barker
Valencia
