New Proposals Limit Court Cases to Murder, Manslaughter, and Rape

Juries may be eliminated for most crimes under new proposals from Justice Secretary David Lammy, who argues that there is “no right” to jury trials in the UK. His memo suggests that only serious cases like rape and murder would require juries, while lesser offenses would be judged solely by a judge to address a backlog of nearly 78,000 crown court cases. Critics warn this could undermine the justice system, attributing the backlog to systemic underfunding rather than the use of juries. The government has yet to make a final decision on these recommendations.

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