I love juries. Juries constitute a microcosm of what democracy can be at its best. The jury members, diverse in race, gender, ethnicity, and profession, and perspective, come together to decide matters of material importance. Under the law, they must listen to the viewpoints of others, but exercise their own individual judgment with a view toward reaching agreement. We require the jurors to do their best to set aside any stereotypes or biases for or biases against the respective parties or their witnesses. Every day, our fellow citizens assume these constitutional powers that are reserved to them and responsibly discharge their duties in the pursuit of justice. Facts are what matter. Every day, our fellow citizens who serve on juries make me proud to be American. Jurors are tangible evidence that the American Dream is alive and well—at least in my corner of the world.

The American Dream, as envisioned by the writer and historian James Truslow Adams, “is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” As the words of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution—as amended—foretold it is here where all people have the right to be treated as equals and realize their potential no matter the circumstances of their birth.

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