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The Seventh and Eighth Amendment The Seventh Amendment was developed by Mr. Williamson of North Carolina, on September 12, 1787. He “ observed to the House that no provision was yet made for juries in civil cases and suggested the necessity of it.” On September 15 it was inserted in Article III saying that “a trial by jury shall be preserved as usual in civil cases” and the move was defeated. This amendment was one of James Madison’s proposals to the House. The Supreme Court has defined the Seventh Amendment as preserving the right of trial by jury in civil cases. The right consisted of twelve men in a jury and under the superior man, the judge. Also, the decision of the jury would be held by an unanimous verdict. The Amendment’s most important purpose is the preservation of “the common law distinction between the province of the court and that of the jury, whereby, in the absence of express or implied consent to the contrary, issues of law are resolved by the court and issues of fact are to be determined by the jury under appropriate instructions by the court.” If Amendment Seven did not exist, then the world would be total chaos.
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