Try finding 12 people who:
- know nothing (or very little) about the Jessie Marie Davis murder even though it dominated the local and national news for weeks
- are willing to consider the death penalty
- don't have preconceived feelings about those who commit infidelity
- can consider murder charges against a police officer while setting aside any positive or negative thoughts they have about cops
- can set aside their racial prejudices to include feelings about interracial dating
Now, if you can find those 12 people, are they really the people you want deciding a person's fate? And what would that dozen look like?
I've set up a blog poll to gauge your feelings about which area is most important when selecting jurors. Don't feel like you need to vote quickly; give it some thought and then weigh in on why you voted the way you did.
I look forward to your thoughts.
1 comment:
If I were involved in the process of selecting jurors for this trial, I'd just assume from the beginning that they've heard about the case. One would have to have been under a rock not to.
The first thing (by far) I'd screen potential jurors for is their views on race and interracial relationships.
Second, I would look for attitudes on the death penalty. Third, I'd look for how potential jurors regard people in law enforcement. Then I'd look at attitudes towards infidelity.
In a related question, I've pondered the merit or lack thereof of moving the trial out of Canton.
In this case, I don't think a change of venue would help. This case has had massive press nationwide and especially in Ohio. I do give props to the police and prosecutors for doing a great job keeping a lid on the details surrounding the case.
At this point, I think the trial should just stay put. I think it would hurt the defense if the trial is moved outside of Canton; people outside of NE Ohio tend to be more conservative in terms of views of race and the death penalty. I think it would hurt the prosecution to move the trial to Cleveland, Akron, or Youngstown; I think juries might be more sympathetic to Bobby Cutts, Jr. in those areas.
Do I think a fair and impartial jury can be selected? Yes, I do. The judge and attorneys will have to go through a lot of people to get one; but I think they can get 12 people who can try this case.
Post a Comment