I see your point, Rumpole, I really do.

But the problem with having a trained group of professional jurors, is potential corruption in deciding cases.

This is why a "jury of your peers" needs to continue to work.

Yes... I see the need for "peers".. not judges etc subject to corruption, voter appeasing pressure.

I do mean the Peer group being the general pool... volunteers selected from withing that peer group.. still a LARGE group so that they dont have to be serving on jury full time.. maybe called on just a few times over several years.... back to their regular lives and day-job outside jury duty....just a LARGE sample selected from peers... trained/instructed peers.
What I propose is not totally different from what we have now. You just don't bother with people who really don't WANT to be on a jury and/or those who simply don't have the smarts, or the training or knowledge or ethics to deliberate properly.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

I guess what I am saying about Juries applies to MANY aspects of life. I think there is this pervading MYTH that if you poll people and get the "average" opinion/decision.. it will somehow magically be "good" I think the OPPOSITE is true.. it will usually be CRAP.

The "average" is a very LOW standard. It is skewed towards "crap" because of the vast amount (almost 50%) of people who are not informed and so whose opinion should be discarded.

Democracy Sux!!

At BEST it results in mediocrity.. and often worse than that.

If you want GOOD advice/decisions about anything.. you turn to people with some knowledge.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light

BTW

I think people misunderstand the origins of "Democracy" I am SURE the ancient Greeks did not include slaves and servants and mental defects in their original notions about who should participate in important decisions. Democracy was all about the elite informed citizens having a say in things and PARTICIPATING in local "politics"

As I recall... those eligible in ancient Athens voted on specific matters.. they did not merely vote for some dope politician and let him do what HE wanted for 3 years
And NOT EVERYBODY got to vote.. just adult, MALE, citizen land owners.

_________________
Do not go gentle into that good night.
___________ Rage, rage against the dying of the light