Protect the right to trial by jury and ban judge-only trials.

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

Cancel the justice secretary’s proposals to remove the right to trial by jury in criminal proceedings where the sentence is less than five years. Ensure that no criminal case is ever tried by the judiciary only.

The right to trial by jury, which has existed for over 800 years, is the most important protection that citizens have from the state. It ensures that court proceedings cannot be politicised and guarantees that no oppressive government can convict citizens on unreasonable charges.

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action:

Do not remove trial by jury for certain cases
Do not remove trial by jury for certain cases

Timeline

25 Nov 2025	Petition opened for signatures
31 Dec 2025	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21

Status Rejected

Rejected 31 Dec 2025

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