Racism in Jury Selection - Supreme Court Case

rexlunae

New member
You know Rex this conversation has raised a new question in my mind: Who are the peers of a victim of crime? And ought the victim's peers be included in the jury?

I'd say no. I'm not sure who they would be, but it would be prejudicial to include them. The whole point is that they're impartial to the case.
 

ok doser

lifeguard at the cement pond
Yes.



The king?

A panel of people specifically chosen for some attribute that you may or may not share.

wait - if race doesn't matter when defining someone as a peer, why does it matter to you if a black man is tried by an all white jury?

they're all his peers, right? (as long as they're not kings)
 

genuineoriginal

New member
if i am upper class, are lower class people my peers?

The quick and speedy part is in there and juries are drawn from one's peers slash equals.

That's true. It's a much older right than the Constitution.


In English Law, the jury was drawn from one's peers so the nobility could not be judged by the commoners.

A jury of one's peers therefore implies a jury from the same class of people as yourself.

In American Law, there is no class system, so everyone is considered to be of the same class, supposedly making everyone a peer of everyone else, which is why the Constitution did not provide for a jury of your peers.
 

Granite

New member
Hall of Fame
In English Law, the jury was drawn from one's peers so the nobility could not be judged by the commoners.

A jury of one's peers therefore implies a jury from the same class of people as yourself.

In American Law, there is no class system, so everyone is considered to be of the same class, supposedly making everyone a peer of everyone else, which is why the Constitution did not provide for a jury of your peers.

Juries are comprised of your peers. Not sure what else there is to say.
 

ok doser

lifeguard at the cement pond
so a black man being judged by an all white jury is being judged by a jury of his peers, right?
 

rexlunae

New member
wait - if race doesn't matter when defining someone as a peer, why does it matter to you if a black man is tried by an all white jury?

And all-white jury is fine, if it comes about randomly. It's not fine to allow the prosecutor to toss jurors for no reason but race.

they're all his peers, right? (as long as they're not kings)

What threatens the principle of a jury of peers is if you empower the state, i.e. the prosecutor, to select the panel.
 

genuineoriginal

New member
Juries are comprised of your peers. Not sure what else there is to say.
My point is that the concept of peers from English Law does not apply to American Law.

Do you think both ok doser and rexlunae are your peers?
Would you want both ok doser and rexlunae on the same jury at your trial?
 

ok doser

lifeguard at the cement pond
And all-white jury is fine, if it comes about randomly. It's not fine to allow the prosecutor to toss jurors for no reason but race.

why not?

why isn't one peer the same as another, regardless of their skin color?

What threatens the principle of a jury of peers is if you empower the state, i.e. the prosecutor, to select the panel.

ok, so you're not discussing the amercian system, where the defense gets the same number of peremptory challenges?
 

rexlunae

New member
In English Law, the jury was drawn from one's peers so the nobility could not be judged by the commoners.

A jury of one's peers therefore implies a jury from the same class of people as yourself.

In American Law, there is no class system, so everyone is considered to be of the same class, supposedly making everyone a peer of everyone else, which is why the Constitution did not provide for a jury of your peers.

The important thing, in American law, is that the panel of jurors be broadly representative of the public in general. A panel selected by either side or both in concert is generally less representative that it would be if selected at random.

http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-procedure/what-is-a-jury-of-peers.html

"The very idea of a jury is a body . . . composed of the peers or equals of the person whose rights it is selected or summoned to determine; that is, of his neighbors, fellows, associates, persons having the same legal status in society as that which he holds." Strauder, supra, at 308;
http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/476/79.html
 

rexlunae

New member
A random jury is not an impartial one, which is why there is a jury selection process to remove people that are not impartial.

Right. There are certain people who shouldn't be on a jury, either in a particular case, or in general. That's why I'm only asking to remove peremptory challenges. Challenges for cause would still be allowed.
 

rexlunae

New member
why not?

why isn't one peer the same as another, regardless of their skin color?



ok, so you're not discussing the amercian system, where the defense gets the same number of peremptory challenges?

This is the American system. See the links I posted for GO.
 

ok doser

lifeguard at the cement pond
Right. There are certain people who shouldn't be on a jury, either in a particular case, or in general. That's why I'm only asking to remove peremptory challenges. Challenges for cause would still be allowed.

would statistics that show racial bias qualify for cause?
 
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