Crime & Federalism

Prosecutor Kerri New is Sexist, and Hates Poor People

Kerri New, a then-Texas prosecutor, used preemptory challenges against two jurors for shameful reasons.  She struck one juror because he didn't have any teeth.  Because he lacked teeth, he must have been poor; and poor people should not be on juries.  Read pp. 17-18 of this document  for details.

Most shameful is that she struck a female for not being female enough.  Seriously - read page 19.

She is female.  She is dressed predominantly male.  She is wearing her hat backwards ... That, the female is dressed primarily as a male, is indicative of a liberal lifestyle.

Again, on page 23:

THE COURT: What was your problem with [the female juror?]  You said she didn't look good either.
KERRI NEW: Your Honor, she is a woman dressed in man's clothing ...

Got that, ladies.  Next time you show up in Kerri New's courtroom, you'd better dress like ladies.  Just to be careful, you should also curtsy.

(Thx, AWC)

UPDATE: Oops. 

In early May, after several inquiries by the newspaper, Ms. New was demoted and quit the district attorney's office.

Read JuryGeek

I'll be busy all day, and Norm is in trial, so don't expect much here today.  Instead, go read JuryGeek.

Juries love the Police

Many of us remember seeing the video of a cop slamming a young black man up against the hood of a car and punching him in the head.  The police officer who assaulated the young man was fired and criminally prosecuted.  After two juries on the assault charges, the officer had the case against him dismissed.

He sued for wrongful termination.  What result?

A former Inglewood police officer who was fired for punching a black teenager and slamming him against a patrol car was awarded $1.6 million Tuesday by the jury in a discrimination lawsuit he and his partner brought against the city.

Jury Duty

Ray doesn't get to be a juror.  Go here for the reason why.

Lying (?) Juror Cuffed

I don't know whether to categorize this story ("Judge has prospective juror cuffed") under goverment misconduct or just desserts:

    Prospective Cook County jurors typically get a red-and-white sticker that reads "juror," a daily check for $17.20 and a judge's lecture about the honor and importance of jury service.    

What they don't get, typically, is an escort to the lockup in handcuffs.     That's what happened this week to a frightened woman who Judge Evelyn Clay thought was lying to try to avoid serving in a felony case.    

On Tuesday, Clay brought the woman in front of her bench, told her she had committed perjury and then held her in contempt of court. She was released later in the day.

 I don't have any sympathy for people who shirk jury duty, though it might be that people who don't want to serve on juries shouldn't be forced to, since they could be more likely to vote guilty simply to end the deliberative process.  Still, I don't see anything to indicate that the woman was lying.  Unfortunately, the only way for me to decide would require me to look at a trial transcript.  Let's hope The Smoking Gun picks up this story.

(Thanks to Politics Blog for the pointer).