All cases of contest under this subchapter shall be fully heard and determined by the Court, without the aid or intervention of a jury, unless 1 or both of the parties to the contest shall claim a trial by jury, and the Court shall, in its judgment, determine that it is a case which, under the Constitution and laws of this State, the party or parties are entitled to a trial by jury. In such case a jury shall be empanelled and the cause proceed according to the rules and practice of the Court in jury trials.