Was Shockley Innocent or Guilty?
It is strange that in Merchant of Venice they were supposed to judge Shockley's law suit in more rational way, because if we see from it's time and background. They should be using civil law system instead both civil law system and jury system. Below are comparisons between civil law system and jury system that shows you Shockley is the victim of their contemporary law system and justice
Civil Law
Jury System
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Clear expression of rights and duties, so that remedies are self-evident.
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Simplicity and accessibility to the citizen, at least in those jurisdictions where it is codified.
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Advance disclosure of rules, silence in the code to be filled based on equity, general principles, and the spirit of the law.
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Richly developed and to some extent transnational academic doctrine inspiring the legislature and the judiciary.
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Judge has to explain legal matters. The jury is not qualified in the area of law and may not understand the terms used. It has been argued that jury is not smart enough to handle fact finding in cases such as fraud and embezzlement and they do not have sufficient experience to deal with complex cases where evidence requires analytical skills.
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Majority verdict can convict when there is doubt which should have been given to the defendant.
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There is frequent jury nobbling, resulting in wrongful acquittals.
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There are no enquiries into jurors deliberations after verdict, a juror may be swayed by racial consideration or other biases.