The Marshall Project

Too ‘Woke’ for the Jury Box?

How movement moments complicate jury selection.

Constitutional law requires that jurors be impartial. They must fairly evaluate evidence and wait until the end of the trial to decide on a defendant's guilt in a criminal case. That’s easier said than done, especially of late.

I’ve chosen well over 100 juries in my career as an attorney in the Public Defender’s Office in Baltimore. Over the last several years, starting with

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