Observers were
shocked at the guilty verdict, as law enforcement officers accused of misconduct are
rarely convicted of a criminal offense. One possible factor in the unusual outcome of the Guyger trial may be the diversity of the jury:
Ten of the 12 jurors were nonwhite. Research indicates that diverse juries
make better decisions that are
less likely to be biased or
tainted by racism. Yet there is a troubling
lack of diversityamong juries across the country.
Racial minorities
do not respond to jury summons at the same rate as whites; they face more financial or employment-related obstacles to jury service; and they are disproportionately likely to be
struck by prosecutors.
On Tuesday, I spoke with William Snowden—the New Orleans director of the Vera Institute of Justice and founder of the
Juror Project, which seeks to educate communities about racial discrimination in jury selection and the importance of jury service—about the Guyger verdict and the potential impact of the jury’s diversity. Our interview has been edited for clarity.
Mark Joseph Stern: Why does jury diversity matter?
William Snowden: There’s a guarantee of having a jury of your peers that’s embodied in our Sixth Amendment. Jury service allows the community to have a voice in deciding who it is we believe should be sent to prison and convicted of a particular crime and who should
not be sent to prison and convicted of a crime. We know the benefits of diversity in terms of advocating for a diverse board room for a corporation or diverse classroom for education. If we’re really serious about the fairness of our criminal legal system, we need to be advocating for diversity in the jury room.
In this particular case, reports indicated that there were five black jurors, five Hispanic or Asian jurors, and two white jurors, with two black and two white alternates. Having a majority-minority jury creates a different perspective on the value of decedent in this case, Mr. Jean. Part of closing argument from the defense was the fact that Mr. Jean had marijuana in his system when he was shot. Too often we have seen cases where there are attempts to justify the killing based on alleged bad characteristics of the decedent.
It Matters That Amber Guyger’s Jury Was Diverse
