Multistate Bar Examination Practice Question

In federal court, the Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a jury trial in civil cases for legal claims where the amount in controversy exceeds $20, provided that the action is one at law (not equity). This means the claim must request monetary damages or other legal remedies traditionally decided by a jury, as opposed to equitable remedies like injunctions, which are decided by a judge. Claims combining both legal and equitable issues may require that any legal issues be tried before a jury first. Other answers are incorrect because they misstate criteria for jury trials or conflate equitable remedies with legal remedies. For instance, the court does not have broad discretion to assign a jury; the right is tied to the nature of the claim rather than general judicial discretion.