In the United States, jury trials are an important part of our justice system. We rely heavily on the jury to decide the fate of the accused. We don't think about them anymore today, but they weren't always the "norm." The modern American version of jury derives from ancient English law. It is said that in the early 11th century, William the Conqueror imported a form of jury system from Normandy which became the basis of England's early juries. It was made up of men who had taken an oath to tell the king what they knew. King Henry II later expanded on the idea by bringing in a group of white men of good character to not only try the accused, but also investigate the crimes. King Henry II had daily law-abiding panels of 12 men; this aspect is very similar to modern juries. The difference is that these first jurors were “self-informed”. This means that they were supposed to already have knowledge of the facts that would be presented to the court before the trial. King Henry II's first jurors were tasked with resolving land disputes that arose in England.. ...