<P> The right to a jury has always depended on the nature of the offense with which the defendant is charged . Petty offenses--those punishable by imprisonment for no more than six months--are not covered by the jury requirement . Even where multiple petty offenses are concerned, the total time of imprisonment possibly exceeding six months, the right to a jury trial does not exist . Also, in the United States, except for serious offenses (such as murder), minors are usually tried in a juvenile court, which lessens the sentence allowed, but forfeits the right to a jury . </P> <P> Originally, the Supreme Court held that the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial indicated a right to "a trial by jury as understood and applied at common law, and includes all the essential elements as they were recognized in this country and England when the Constitution was adopted ." Therefore, it was held that juries had to be composed of twelve persons and that verdicts had to be unanimous, as was customary in England . </P> <P> When, under the Fourteenth Amendment, the Supreme Court extended the right to a trial by jury to defendants in state courts, it re-examined some of the standards . It has been held that twelve came to be the number of jurors by "historical accident," and that a jury of six would be sufficient, but anything less would deprive the defendant of a right to trial by jury . The Sixth Amendment mandates unanimity in a federal jury trial . However, the Supreme Court has ruled that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, while requiring states to provide jury trials for serious crimes, does not incorporate all the elements of a jury trial within the meaning of the Sixth Amendment . Thus, states are not mandated to require jury unanimity, unless the jury has only six members . </P> <P> The Sixth Amendment requires juries to be impartial . Impartiality has been interpreted as requiring individual jurors to be unbiased . At voir dire, each side may question potential jurors to determine any bias, and challenge them if the same is found; the court determines the validity of these challenges for cause . Defendants may not challenge a conviction because a challenge for cause was denied incorrectly if they had the opportunity to use peremptory challenges . </P>

Where is the right to trial by jury found