These innovations are particularly noteworthy coming from a sitting federal judge. The juror bill of rights therefore is both radical because it challenges the long-standing practice of federal and state courts, and obvious, because it treats jurors with respect. As proposed, Bennett’s bill of rights includes the following five pillars listed and explained below.

Jurors Have the Right Not to Have Their Time Wasted by Judges, Lawyers, Witnesses, and Unnecessary, Cumulative, and Excessive Evidence

One of the main complaints about jury service is the perceived waste of jurors’ time. Jurors wait to be selected, wait during legal arguments, wait during breaks, and then wait some more. To be fair, trials present difficult logistical challenges. For example, witnesses, lawyers, and judges have scheduling conflicts, and unexpected legal issues can arise. That’s not to say that time isn’t wasted when lawyers call a large pool of witnesses, ask repetitive questions, and seemingly value the jurors’ time less than their own. Bennett’s response therefore is to streamline the process—a strategy he’s put in practice in his own courtroom.

Bennett’s trials begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. and go until 2:30 p.m., with all other scheduling matters moved until the afternoon. After extensive pretrial conferences, he also imposes hard time limits on lawyers (fixed times for the presentation of evidence on both sides), and has a chess clock (the kind used for calculating the time between moves) to measure a lawyer’s progress through the case. He prohibits sidebar conferences (the times when lawyers approach the bench to make arguments while the jury waits in the jury box). And, he streamlines the voir dire process to make jury selection more efficient. The result is a trial that prioritizes the jurors’ time over the lawyers’ time, and the jurors’ experience over the lawyers’ tactics. And, somewhat counter-intuitively trial lawyers have embraced the changes, finding that efficient trials are actually better for their cases and their clients, according to Bennett’s article.

Jurors Have the Right in Jury Selection in Every Civil Case to Be Told Exactly How Long the Trial Will Last—Minus Deliberations

Another common complaint is the uncertainty of when jury duty ends. Even “one day, one trial systems” do not clarify how long the “one trial” lasts, which causes anxiety among jurors unsure what the impact will be on their other life obligations. Civil trials can last a few days or a few months. Bennett, therefore, in consultation with the parties establishes a fixed timeframe at the outset for how the trial will proceed, which then gives jurors the opportunity to plan ahead and gain a measure of control over their civic obligation. Since no judge can control how long deliberations will last, the rest of the trial can at least be managed with an eye toward efficiency and certainty.