USC Law Professor Daniel Klerman (pictured left) has been awarded the prestigious Sutherland Prize by the American Society for Legal History.

The prize is awarded annually to the author of the "best article in English legal history." Klerman won for his piece, "Was the Jury Ever Self-Informing?" published in the Southern California Law Review (vol. 77, pp.123-50, 2003).

The award is particularly distinguished because the selection committee surveys all articles and book chapters published in English around the world from the previous year. The articles appear in books or journals with a law or history emphasis.

Klerman’s article argues that medieval English juries did not learn about their cases from witnesses or documents presented at trial, but rather rendered their verdicts based on information they gathered before coming to court. He found that jurors in the 13th century primarily gained information in advance of trial; there were instances of witness testimony, but these were uncommon.

“Dan Klerman is one of USC’s most respected scholars,” said USC Law Dean Matthew L. Spitzer. “We are pleased, but not surprised, that he has been awarded this prestigious distinction.”

Prior winners of the prize include John Langbein (Yale Law School) and Philip Hamburger (University of Chicago Law School).