Professor Paul Butler on The Takeaway:
Racial Discrimination in BART Shooting's Jury Selection?
June 10 , 2010
WNYC Public Radio, New York City, NY
When a white police officer kills an innocent black bystander, does a jury of the defendant's peers including a jury without blacks?
Johannes Mehserle, a white San Francisco police officer assigned to the city's public transportation system (BART), is accused of killing Oscar Grant, an unarmed black passenger. Jury selection has just closed in Mehserle's murder trial, and, of the five of the fifty African-Americans in the jury pool, none were selected to serve.
Professor Paul Butler was a guest on The Takeway to share his views on the legal and social ramifications of this type of jury selection. How does a jury lacking blacks affect the legitimacy of the eventual decision? Without African-Americans on the jury, how might the city's African-American population react to a not guilty verdict? Professor Paul Butler shares his insights.
An MP3 of Professor Butler's appearance is available for download or streaming below.
