Question 1

State and federal jurisdictions have experimented with a number of techniques for increasing the racial __________ of the jury pool.

Accepted Answer

The answer of State and federal jurisdictions have experimented with...

Question 2

Jury pools tend to underrepresent racial and ethnic minorities and those who are:

Accepted Answer

Jury pools often underrepresent poor individuals because they may face barriers such as lack of transportation, inability to take time off work, or not receiving jury summons due to unstable housing situations.

Question 3

Physically handicapped persons shall serve except where the court finds such service is not _____.

Accepted Answer

The term "feasible" refers to whether something is practical or possible, which is relevant in determining if a physically handicapped person can serve.

Question 4

Since the mid-1930s, the Supreme Court has consistently has struck down techniques used to __________ the requirement of racial neutrality in the selection of the jury pool.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Since the mid-1930s, the Supreme Court has...

Question 5

The racial neutrality of a prosecutor's peremptory challenge should be evaluated based on the genuineness of the prosecutor's explanation, not its reasonableness .

Accepted Answer

This statement is supported by the Supreme Court decision in Batson v. Kentucky, which held that peremptory challenges based on race are unconstitutional. The Court stated that a prosecutor's explanation for a peremptory challenge must be "genuine" rather than "pretextual," and that the focus should be on the prosecutor's subjective intent to discriminate rather than the reasonableness of the explanation.

Question 6

The Strauder Court ruled that a West Virginia statute limiting jury service to white males violated the __________  C lause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Strauder Court ruled that a West...

Question 7

The Supreme Court decisions discussed in the chapter have made it more difficult for states to discriminate overtly on the basis of race or ethnicity. The procedures used to select the jury pool are:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Supreme Court decisions discussed in the...

Question 8

A U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a plan to subtract the names of white prospective jurors until the proportion of racial minorities in the pool matches the proportion in the population, which violated the equal protection rights of white jurors in Purkett v. Elem (1995).

Accepted Answer

The case Purkett v. Elem (1995) dealt with the issue of peremptory challenges and racial discrimination in jury selection, but it did not involve a plan to subtract names of white jurors to match racial proportions. The case focused on whether the reasons given for striking jurors were race-neutral.

Question 9

Although U.S. Supreme Court decisions have made it more difficult for states to discriminate overtly on the basis on race, the procedures used to select the jury pool are not racially neutral.

Accepted Answer

The procedures used to select the jury pool are not always racially neutral, despite efforts to eliminate explicit discrimination. This can lead to underrepresentation of certain racial or ethnic groups on juries.

Question 10

The U.S. Supreme Court first addressed racial discrimination in jury selection in Neal v. Delaware (1882).

Accepted Answer

The answer of The U.S. Supreme Court first addressed racial...

Question 11

The state of Delaware once rejected African Americans for jury duty because they were "not intelligent, experienced, or moral enough to serve as jurors."

Accepted Answer

Unfortunately, this statement is true. Delaware was one of several states that used intelligence tests and other discriminatory practices to prevent African Americans from serving on juries, even after the Supreme Court had ruled such practices unconstitutional in the 19th century. Delaware's discriminatory practices were finally ended in 1958, when the Supreme Court declared them illegal in the case of Jurek v. Texas.

Question 12

"Random" selection of jurors from tax books in which the names of white taxpayers were in one section and the names of African American taxpayers were in another was struck down in Strauder v. West Virginia (1880).

Accepted Answer

The answer of "Random" selection of jurors from tax books...

Question 13

In McCormick v. South Dakota (1991), the U.S. Supreme Court articulated the doctrine requiring a racially mixed jury in all criminal proceedings.

Accepted Answer

The statement is false. McCormick v. South Dakota (1991) did not establish a doctrine requiring a racially mixed jury in all criminal proceedings. Rather, the case addressed the constitutionality of the prosecutor's use of peremptory challenges to strike all potential Native American jurors from the panel for a trial involving a Native American defendant. The Court ultimately held that the prosecutor's actions violated the defendant's equal protection rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court did not establish a general rule requiring racially mixed juries.

Question 14

The U.S. Supreme Court reversed a death sentence murder conviction because the district attorney asked the jury commissioner to limit the number of African Americans and women on the lists from which potential jurors were chosen in Avery v. Georgia (1953).

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the death sentence murder conviction of Leroy Avery in 1953 because the district attorney in the case had asked the jury commissioner to limit the number of African Americans and women on the lists provided to potential jurors. The court found that this action violated Avery's constitutional right to a fair trial by an impartial jury.

Question 15

To prevent selecting African Americans for their jury pool, a Georgia county put names of white potential jurors on white cards and African American potential jurors on yellow cards, then "randomly" drew cards to determine who would be summoned for jury duty.

Accepted Answer

This is a true statement and an example of racial discrimination in the jury selection process.

Question 16

Butler's position on jury _______ is that the "black community is better off when some nonviolent lawbreakers remain in the community rather than go to prison."

Accepted Answer

Butler's position on jury nullification suggests that jurors can choose not to convict a defendant if they believe that conviction would be unjust, particularly in cases involving nonviolent offenses, to benefit the community.

Question 17

In serious criminal cases, the jury serves as the __________ of the community.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In serious criminal cases, the jury serves...

Question 18

Appeals to racial sentiment are referred to as "playing the race card."

Accepted Answer

Appeals to racial sentiment are commonly referred to as "playing the race card."

Question 19

Highly publicized exonerations of individuals convicted of murder, sexual assault, and other serious crimes have led to confirmations that the procedures used to investigate and adjudicate criminal cases are accurate and fair to minorities.

Accepted Answer

Highly publicized exonerations often highlight flaws and biases in the criminal justice system, suggesting that procedures may not always be accurate or fair, particularly to minorities.

Question 20

Jurors must be __ years old.

Accepted Answer

In most jurisdictions, the minimum age requirement to serve as a juror is 18 years old.

Quiz 6: Justice on the Bench Trial and Adjudication in Criminal Court