The 7th Amendment guarantees the right to a jury trial in federal civil cases where the value in controversy exceeds $20. It prevents facts tried by a jury from being reexamined in any court unless allowed by common law. The founding fathers included this amendment in the Bill of Rights to protect citizens from unfair rulings by judges.

1. By: Shreya, Isabelle, and Vinay

2. “In suits at common law, where the value in
controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of
trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a
jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of
the United States, than according to the rules of the
common law.”
Meaning- In any civil case, if the amount of money
involved exceeds $20, the citizen in the case has the
right to trial by jury, and once this case is decided,
the facts will never be looked at unless common law
says so.
Today, $20 is a small amount of money so $1,500 is the
amount needed today.

3.  protects the public from aristocratic
judges
 Secures the line between the judge and
the jury-limits the judges power by
dividing it with the jury
 colonists’ way to protects themselves from
unjust laws
 Way of deciding someone’s verdict in a fair
way

4.  Trial by jury began in England-12th
century
 English judges were “lions under the
throne”
 Judges did not make fair decisions
Founding Fathers involved this amendment
in the bill of rights to protect the public
from corrupt judges.

5. 1. Case must invoke a claim that would be reasonable to
have a trial by jury.
2. The lawsuit must be brought in federal courts, not
state courts.
3. The lawsuit must be for a claim of more than $20.
4. The legal case must assert a claim that is legal in
nature rather than an equity or in an admiralty cases.
Legal- cases where money is sought by the accuser from
the defendant.
Admirably- cases regarding something that happened at
sea
Equity-case involving disputes with no money ex.
divorce, custody

6.  Beacon Theatres v. Westover
-In this case, legal and equitable claims were “together
in action”, and the Supreme Court decided Legal
Claim must be decided in front of a jury before the
equitable claim is tried.
Some federal courts think there is an exception to
the right to trial by jury in complex cases. The
argument is that a jury made up of common
people is not qualified to rule complex cases and
the judge decide. Others argue that taking away
juries would take away power from the people.

7. WAY TO REMEMBER
There are 27 amendment and the 7th one
involves 20 dollars

8.  http://www.revolutionary-war-and-
beyond.com/7th-amendment.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh_
Amendment_to_the_United_States_Cons
titution
 http://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/ca
rdshowall.php?title=amendments_30
 http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/score_lesso
ns/bill_of_rights/media/seven.htm
 http://legal-
dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Sevent
h+Amendment