Stop the removal of jury trials from Crown Court criminal cases

Rejected 18 signatures

What the petition asks

Reject proposals to remove jury trials from Crown Court cases. Maintain the right to trial by jury for all defendants facing serious criminal charges in Crown Court. The backlog crisis must be solved through proper funding and resources, not by dismantling fundamental rights established since 1215.

Trial by jury is a cornerstone of British justice dating back to Magna Carta. The government's proposals would remove juries from 75% of Crown Court cases, leaving defendants tried by judges alone for offences carrying up to five years imprisonment. The judiciary lacks diversity, only 12% are from ethnic minorities and 1% are Black - raising serious concerns about fairness. The court backlog is caused by underfunding and closures, not juries. Removing this fundamental right is dangerous & unfair

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

2 Dec 2025	Petition opened for signatures
9 Jan 2026	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 18

Status Rejected

Rejected 9 Jan 2026

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