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Racial Diversity in Jury Selection

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Racial Diversity in Jury Selection
Barbara Sigler
Unit 3
American Intercontinental University

Abstract
The selection process of juries was designed to select citizens that were equal peers of the person involved in the trial. However, many disparities exist and the selection process at times seems to be disproportionate relating to race or ethnicity. Reform of the legislature would benefit those that are not being properly served.

It is the right of every citizen in this nation to have his or her case decided by a fair and impartial jury. The selection of the jury panel is one of great importance and one that can have a great effect on the outcome of the case. Therefore, it is obvious that the attorneys have a great interest in manipulating the jury selection to include who they may feel would return a favorable verdict for their client. Attorneys generally favor potential jurors that share certain characteristics to include race or gender with their client. The attorneys feel that there is increased empathy when these similarities exist, possibly resulting in a favorable verdict (Frank, 2011). According to a case study of two separate counties, it is obvious that demographics did not play a role in the jury selection process. County A had a population of approximately sixteen thousand with one fourth of the population being African American. Yet only ten to fifteen percent was black. In addition, in the past years not one single black has been included in the jury. Twenty three percent of the population of county b is African American yet in the past twenty years eighteen murder cases were tried and had convictions. Of all these trials, one trial includes a black juror, ten had no blacks and the rest identified two blacks. The Supreme Court has not dismissed the impact of race on jury selection. Since the nineteenth century,

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