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Exclusion of Jews and Blacks from Calif. Death Juries

The New York Times reports:

The convictions of dozens of death-row inmates in California are coming under legal scrutiny because of accusations that Jews and black women were excluded from juries in capital trials in Alameda County as "standard practice."

The allegation is contained in an affidavit filed in a habeas appeal of a death row inmate. It was written by the prosecutor:

Mr. Quatman, who worked for 26 years as a deputy district attorney and prosecuted the case, said the trial judge, Stanley Golde, advised him during jury selection that "no Jew would vote to send a defendant to the gas chamber."

"Judge Golde was only telling me what I already should have known to do," Mr. Quatman's statement said. "It was standard practice to exclude Jewish jurors in death cases."

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    Honestly people are far too biased for anyone to get a fair trail in which the evidence isnt solid. I say no one should be able to see the defendant or listen to his or her voice.

    Re: Exclusion of Jews and Blacks from Calif. Death (none / 0) (#2)
    by Al on Tue Mar 15, 2005 at 10:56:51 PM EST
    So juries should be made up of people who are indifferent to genocide?

    Are Catholics allowed on death juries?

    On this one i can only say "What" the "H"

    Re: Exclusion of Jews and Blacks from Calif. Death (none / 0) (#5)
    by scarshapedstar on Wed Mar 16, 2005 at 01:04:15 AM EST
    "no Jew would vote to send a defendant to the gas chamber." ...and eez zees a problem, herr lieutnant?

    Re: Exclusion of Jews and Blacks from Calif. Death (none / 0) (#6)
    by pigwiggle on Wed Mar 16, 2005 at 07:37:40 AM EST
    Are we talking Jew by ideology or heredity? I was excluded from a jury for admitting I wouldn’t be able to help convict an alleged drug criminal. If it is unjust to exclude Jews by ideology from capital trials it is equally unjust to exclude Libertarians from drug crime trials.

    The consensus among the Jews and the Blacks in my office is that (a) we take this as a reflection of our basic decency but (b) we still don't like it.

    Re: Exclusion of Jews and Blacks from Calif. Death (none / 0) (#8)
    by Richard Aubrey on Wed Mar 16, 2005 at 05:37:54 PM EST
    Does this mean the defense can't do demographic stereotyping in jury selection, either?