GEORGE ZIMMERMAN MURDER TRIAL UPDATE: RACE PLAYS ROLE IN JURY SELECTION PROCESS
- Details
- Category: Justice
- Published: Sunday, 16 June 2013 16:23
- Written by Attorney Jerry Girley
The purpose of the jury selection process, ostensibly, is to choose individuals that are impartial and who will be able to weigh the evidence and to make a reasoned decision based upon the evidence presented during the trial. In reality, each side is looking for jurors that are receptive to their theory of the case. Normally prosecutors attempt to select persons that are older, law and order oriented and conservative in their philosophical perspective. Defense attorneys typically prefer jurors that are open minded, perhaps younger and who may possess a higher level of education than the average person. Admittedly, these are broad generalizations and each case is fact specific, but generally these are the default starting positions of each side. But, the strategies are reversed in the Trayvon Martin murder trial. In this case the ideal juror for the state is a person who is younger, more educated and more open minded.
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