Book dossier

Stack and sway

"A new and largely hidden profession has emerged during the past three decades. Drawing on the techniques of modern social science, psychology, and market research, its practitioners seek to remake the way we pursue justice in the United States. Jury consultants help lawyers to pick - some would say "stack"--Juries predisposed to render the "right" verdict. And consultants apply sophisticated research methods to figure out the best strategies for swaying the panel. What are we to make of this new and steadily growing industry? Do the techniques work? Is this, as some critics have argued, a new form of high-tech jury-rigging, not much more acceptable than cruder forms of jury tampering? Or do the methods of jury consultants amount to little more than an extension of what attorneys have always done? This book will reveal the "tricks of the trade" and explore the many ways in which trial consultants have infiltrated the courtroom. The authors' purpose is not to launch an all-out attack on this growing industry, but rather to pull back the curtains, allowing a fair and balanced assessment of a new phenomenon in American justice."--Jacket.