Douglas County District Court Judge Amy Hanley helped deliver a keynote lecture via Zoom to judges, attorneys and other legal officials in Argentina who are working to expand the use of jury trials.

Judge Hanley’s presentation covered best practices for judges and attorneys during the jury selection process. She presented Nov. 17 alongside Professor Catherine Grosso, of the Michigan State University College of Law, and Martin Sabelli, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. 

Their lecture was part of Argentina’s VI International Congress on Trial by Jury, “The Power of the Jury: The Experience of Argentina and the World,” organized by the Institute of Comparative Studies in Criminal and Social Sciences (INECIP) and supported by the U.S. Embassy in Argentina.

Argentina is expanding its use of jury trials after the process was abandoned for 160 years. Now several provinces, including the largest one Buenos Aires, have successfully introduced jury trials for criminal cases.

The Congress draws on legal experts from around the world and takes place over eight days in November via the Zoom virtual platform. The Congress uses simultaneous translation from English to Spanish.

Judge Hanley was invited to speak based on her extensive jury trial experience, both as a judge in Douglas County and as a former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Kansas. Judge Hanley is involved nationally as senior faculty with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) for trial advocacy programs. She has been a judge in Douglas County since Dec. 1, 2016.

Within the framework of the expansion of jury trials in Argentina, the Congress aims to deepen knowledge on jury selection, instructions, comparative experiences, rules of evidence and other topics.