The Gen-Z Juror: Accommodating Generational Changes in the Courtroom

Changing Times

 With a growing number of young people entering the jury pool every day in America, it is more important than ever that attorneys understand how the younger generations process information and learn. Each generation of jurors holds different values and feelings towards certain issues from the next. In order to achieve the most fair outcome possible in a jury trial, attorneys need to be aware of these differences so they can select and address their jury to the best of their ability. Below are several methods attorneys can implement in the courtroom when faced with the Gen-Z juror. 

Be Brief

Members of Gen-Z have grown up with the internet virtually at their fingertips. They have never lived in a time where immediate access to information wasn't in their back pocket. Because of the constant, rapid fire inundation of information that Gen-Z individuals experience every day, they have become accustomed to consuming large amounts of information, and making sense of that information, in a very short amount of time. Attorneys need to take this into account when they address younger jurors during trial. Whereas older people tend to prefer a storytelling method of fact presentation, younger people will quickly lose interest in a redundant and lengthy recitation of facts. Be concise and get to the point.

Be Honest

Younger people have a much higher level of cynicism as well as a much higher distrust of authority than their older counterparts. When addressing them in the courtroom, an emotional appeal is likely not going to work. If they feel as if you are trying to make them feel a certain way or are hiding the truth in some capacity, you are more likely to lose them. Additionally, due to their propensity to question authority, they are not as likely to put much stock into the testimony of an expert witness.

Be Tech-Savvy

Gen-Z grew up with technology and the internet being a part of their every day lives, and as such are much more comfortable receiving information through graphs or digitally composed images, rather than orally. In fact, they have come to expect and prefer this method of information presentation and will have a much greater understanding of the facts of the case if they can visualize them. 

    While it is impossible to please every juror all at one time,  it is important that attorneys recognize that younger jurors are fundamentally different from older generations in many ways. If attorneys can take these differences into account in the courtroom, then everyone involved will have a greater understanding and appreciation for the justice system, and our courts will be able to achieve justice for all the way they were meant to.

Sources:

Ervin Gonzalez, Succeeding with Millennial Jurors Requires Understanding of Their Generational Traits, (2016), http://www.ervingonzalez.com/succeeding-with-millennial-jurors-requires-understanding-of-their-generational-traits/.

Harry Plotkin, The Next Generation of Jurors, DAILY J. (Nov. 10, 2021), https://www.dailyjournal.com/mcle/1082-the-next-generation-of-jurors#:~:text=Generation%20of%20Jurors-,Harry%20Plotkin,best%20trial%20lawyers%20in%20California.