Mistrustful of judges, the people insisted on the right to jury trial in civil cases.

Mason also called for freedom in the exercise of religion, freedom of the press and jury trials in civil cases.

He also attempted to have the number of jury trials in civil cases reduced, something which Hanworth supported but which was blocked by the King's Bench Division.

The increase in criminal cases during the Reagan and Bush years has overloaded many Federal dockets and dramatically increased the interval between filings and trials in civil cases.

A Deep Interest in Reform He took a deep interest in judicial reform and tried for years to abolish jury trials in civil cases, a move he was confident would unclog court calendars.

The right to a jury trial in civil cases does not extend to the states, except when a state court is enforcing a federally created right, of which the right to trial by jury is a substantial part.

However, the Second Amendment, along with providing for jury trials in civil cases and indictment by a grand jury, is a section of the Bill of Rights that has never been subject to the incorporation doctrine - that is application to the states.

"The law did not impose the establishment clause, the guarantee of a republican form of government, the requirement of a separation of church and state, the right to a jury trial in civil cases, or the right of indigents to appointed counsel in criminal cases."

In the American legal system, the right of jury trial in civil cases tried in federal court is guaranteed by the Seventh Amendment, but only "[i]n Suits at common law," i.e., in cases that traditionally would have been handled by the law courts.