---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A grand jury hears only one side - that…"
description: "\"A grand jury hears only one side - that of the prosecutor\" — Donella Meadows"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/donella-meadows-9060_grand-jury_a-grand-jury-hears-only-one-side-that-of_155991.png"
---

#  A grand jury hears only one side - that of the prosecutor

![“A grand jury hears only one side - that of the prosecutor” quote by Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/donella-meadows-9060_grand-jury_a-grand-jury-hears-only-one-side-that-of_155991.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/donella-meadows-9060_grand-jury_a-grand-jury-hears-only-one-side-that-of_155991.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/donella-meadows-9060_grand-jury_a-grand-jury-hears-only-one-side-that-of_155991.png)

> “A grand jury hears only one side - that of the prosecutor”

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A grand jury only hears the prosecutor’s perspective, lacking balanced evidence.

**In simple terms:** Grand jury hears only prosecutor.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for balanced legal processes and evidence.

Themes

justice law bias evidence process

Mood

critical hopeful analytical

Type

legal political

When to use this quote

- courtroom reform
- public policy advocacy
- legal education
- media analysis

Key Concepts

Legal fairness systemic bias

Questions to Reflect On

- How can legal systems ensure fairness?
- What role does public oversight play?

A Different Perspective

Systemic constraints limit full truth discovery.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Grand jury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grand-jury/) [Hears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hears/) [Hears Prosecutor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hears-prosecutor-1723433/) [Jury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jury/) [Jury Hears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jury-hears-1723434/) [Prosecutor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosecutor/)

## Related quotes

> [Normally a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich if a prosecutor asks it to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-robb/normally-a-grand-jury-will-indict-a-ham-sandwich-if-a-prosecutor-asks/)

[Chuck Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-robb/)

> [The police were also ready with more formidable tools of intimidation. The office also assigned a veteran homicide prosecutor to oversee the investigation. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolf-blitzer/the-police-were-also-ready-with-more-formidable-tools-of-intimidation/)

[Wolf Blitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolf-blitzer/)

> [“The most important moments in a trial are often not seen by a jury. That is because it's one of the judge's main responsibilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rosenfelt/the-most-important-moments-in-a-trial-are-often-not-seen-by-a-jury/)

[David Rosenfelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rosenfelt/)

> [Prosecutors are allowed to cherry-pick what evidence, if any, that they do present to a grand jury. So the grand jury process overall is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-cooper/prosecutors-are-allowed-to-cherry-pick-what-evidence-if-any-that-they/)

[Sharon Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-cooper/)

> [As I've stated prior, I have no concerns with a grand juror sharing their thoughts or opinions about me and my office's involvement in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cameron/as-i-ve-stated-prior-i-have-no-concerns-with-a-grand-juror-sharing/)

[Daniel Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cameron/)

> [One mechanism of repression is the grand jury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand-jury/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [So the fact that the grand jury would come back and make the decision not to indict the jailers and not make a decision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-cooper/so-the-fact-that-the-grand-jury-would-come-back-and-make-the-decision/)

[Sharon Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-cooper/)

> [More details coming out about Michael Jackson. It seems his 13-year-old accuser testified before a grand jury that Michael had seven locks on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/more-details-coming-out-about-michael-jackson-it-seems-his-13-year/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [The grand jury process is secretive for a reason, to protect the safety and anonymity of all the grand jurors, witnesses, and innocent persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cameron/the-grand-jury-process-is-secretive-for-a-reason-to-protect-the/)

[Daniel Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cameron/)

> [I have made a career out of arguing that we shouldn't be criminalizing political differences. I've made a career out of arguing that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-have-made-a-career-out-of-arguing-that-we-shouldn-t-be/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [I hardly expected the grand jury to sustain me, after they saw everything different from what it had been while I was there. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-hardly-expected-the-grand-jury-to-sustain-me-after-they-saw/)

[Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/)

> [The duty of the grand jury is to separate fact from fiction, after a full and impartial examination of all the evidence involved, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-p-mcculloch/the-duty-of-the-grand-jury-is-to-separate-fact-from-fiction-after-a/)

[Robert P. McCulloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-p-mcculloch/)

> [Prosecutors have absolutely no control over what witnesses say when they leave the grand jury room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/prosecutors-have-absolutely-no-control-over-what-witnesses-say-when/)

[Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/)

> [We were right about the slush fund. But Sloan did not testify about it to the Grand Jury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/we-were-right-about-the-slush-fund-but-sloan-did-not-testify-about-it/)

[Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/)

> [A federal grand jury is investigating allegations that David Copperfield raped, assaulted and threatened a woman he took to his private island in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/a-federal-grand-jury-is-investigating-allegations-that-david/)

[Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/)

## More by Donella Meadows

> [Ending poverty calls for humility, honesty, freedom from ideology and refusal to accept cruel simplicities about anyone's human potential. It requires listening to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/ending-poverty-calls-for-humility-honesty-freedom-from-ideology-and/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany have detailed plans to cut their greenhouse emissions by 20 to 50 percent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/denmark-the-netherlands-and-germany-have-detailed-plans-to-cut-their/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [What Clinton did with Lewinsky was despicable but was no threat to the nation. That he lied about it repeatedly and to the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/what-clinton-did-with-lewinsky-was-despicable-but-was-no-threat-to/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [Why is our (US) government the only one in the civilized world with a stupid, short-term energy policy? Why do our elected officials consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/why-is-our-us-government-the-only-one-in-the-civilized-world-with-a/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [Before they got vengeful, conservatives had some useful points to make about welfare. Government 'help' is too often guilt-assuaging gesture. It creates layers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/before-they-got-vengeful-conservatives-had-some-useful-points-to-make/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [Social services, not wealth per se, seem to be the key to lower birth rates. The Chinese, although among the poorest peoples of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/social-services-not-wealth-per-se-seem-to-be-the-key-to-lower-birth/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [You should issue demerits for tree cutting or the destruction of humus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/you-should-issue-demerits-for-tree-cutting-or-the-destruction-of-humus/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [A good leader sets the right goals, gets things moving, and helps us to discover that we already know what to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/a-good-leader-sets-the-right-goals-gets-things-moving-and-helps-us-to/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [The latest scientific assessment has almost doubled the predicted rate of warming if no changes are made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/the-latest-scientific-assessment-has-almost-doubled-the-predicted/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [Some call-in moderators are neutral and courteous. Then there's Rush Limbaugh, who is funny and pompous and a scapegoater and hatemonger. His popularity could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/some-call-in-moderators-are-neutral-and-courteous-then-there-s-rush/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [Smart development builds on a region's own skills, resources and local businesses. Dumb growth invites a big corporation in, surrenders control and profits to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/smart-development-builds-on-a-region-s-own-skills-resources-and-local/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [Glaciers are almost gone from Glacier National Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/glaciers-are-almost-gone-from-glacier-national-park/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [I call the transformed world toward which we can move ‘sustainable,’ by which I mean a great deal more than a world that merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/i-call-the-transformed-world-toward-which-we-can-move-sustainable-by/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [We can't control systems or figure them out. But we can dance with them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/we-can-t-control-systems-or-figure-them-out-but-we-can-dance-with-them/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

> [Mesarovic and Pestel are critical of the Forrester-Meadows world view, which is that of a homogeneous system with a fully predetermined evolution in time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/mesarovic-and-pestel-are-critical-of-the-forrester-meadows-world-view/)

[Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

[Explore all 75 Donella Meadows quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/)

## More Grand jury quotes

> [A federal grand jury is investigating allegations that David Copperfield raped, assaulted and threatened a woman he took to his private island in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/a-federal-grand-jury-is-investigating-allegations-that-david/)

[Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/)

> [One mechanism of repression is the grand jury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/one-mechanism-of-repression-is-the-grand-jury/)

[Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/)

> [The duty of the grand jury is to separate fact from fiction, after a full and impartial examination of all the evidence involved, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-p-mcculloch/the-duty-of-the-grand-jury-is-to-separate-fact-from-fiction-after-a/)

[Robert P. McCulloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-p-mcculloch/)

> [Prosecutors have absolutely no control over what witnesses say when they leave the grand jury room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/prosecutors-have-absolutely-no-control-over-what-witnesses-say-when/)

[Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/)

> [As I've stated prior, I have no concerns with a grand juror sharing their thoughts or opinions about me and my office's involvement in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cameron/as-i-ve-stated-prior-i-have-no-concerns-with-a-grand-juror-sharing/)

[Daniel Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cameron/)

> [We were right about the slush fund. But Sloan did not testify about it to the Grand Jury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/we-were-right-about-the-slush-fund-but-sloan-did-not-testify-about-it/)

[Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/)

> [The police were also ready with more formidable tools of intimidation. The office also assigned a veteran homicide prosecutor to oversee the investigation. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolf-blitzer/the-police-were-also-ready-with-more-formidable-tools-of-intimidation/)

[Wolf Blitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolf-blitzer/)

> [I hardly expected the grand jury to sustain me, after they saw everything different from what it had been while I was there. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-hardly-expected-the-grand-jury-to-sustain-me-after-they-saw/)

[Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/)

> [I have made a career out of arguing that we shouldn't be criminalizing political differences. I've made a career out of arguing that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-have-made-a-career-out-of-arguing-that-we-shouldn-t-be/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [The grand jury process is secretive for a reason, to protect the safety and anonymity of all the grand jurors, witnesses, and innocent persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cameron/the-grand-jury-process-is-secretive-for-a-reason-to-protect-the/)

[Daniel Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cameron/)

> [More details coming out about Michael Jackson. It seems his 13-year-old accuser testified before a grand jury that Michael had seven locks on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/more-details-coming-out-about-michael-jackson-it-seems-his-13-year/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [So the fact that the grand jury would come back and make the decision not to indict the jailers and not make a decision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-cooper/so-the-fact-that-the-grand-jury-would-come-back-and-make-the-decision/)

[Sharon Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-cooper/)

> [I've led a grand jury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pruitt/i-ve-led-a-grand-jury/)

[Scott Pruitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pruitt/)

> [“Mr. Buckley, let me explain it this way. And I'll do so very carefully and slowly so that even you will understand it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/mr-buckley-let-me-explain-it-this-way-and-i-ll-do-so-very-carefully/)

[John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/)

> [I did answer all of the questions put to me today, ... Nothing in my testimony in any way contradicted the strong denials that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podesta/i-did-answer-all-of-the-questions-put-to-me-today-nothing-in-my/)

[John Podesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podesta/)

[Browse all 40 Grand jury quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grand-jury/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A grand jury hears only one side - that of the prosecutor",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Donella Meadows"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/a-grand-jury-hears-only-one-side-that-of-the-prosecutor/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Grand jury"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/a-grand-jury-hears-only-one-side-that-of-the-prosecutor/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/donella-meadows-9060_grand-jury_a-grand-jury-hears-only-one-side-that-of_155991.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/donella-meadows-9060_grand-jury_a-grand-jury-hears-only-one-side-that-of_155991.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67c/donella-meadows-9060_grand-jury_a-grand-jury-hears-only-one-side-that-of_155991.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A grand jury hears only one side - that of the prosecutor” — Donella Meadows",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Donella Meadows",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A grand jury hears only one...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/a-grand-jury-hears-only-one-side-that-of-the-prosecutor/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/a-grand-jury-hears-only-one-side-that-of-the-prosecutor/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
