Trial by jury! Why?

[Formaldehyde]

Back to the juries, what are the requirements to be (or not be) a jury in the US?
Can you appeal on the grounds of a biased jury, say on race or religion?

Voir dire is used to exclude those whose biases and prejudices might adversely affect the jury process.

This subject was discussed in some detail in these threads:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=413634

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=361192

 

[Millman]

We need more people to manipulate the law.

Their primary purpose is to sort through evidence. You can argue there's the potential more people assigned to the case could goof up. If at least one juror can uncover the truth it outshines all uncertainties of the rest of the court.

In some cases at least some good can come from it. Yes, though there have been times when humans have been far from impartial with their judgments.