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"Beaner Hopping" Murder Trial Unable to Find Jurors
A Long Island courtroom is having trouble putting together a jury because the trial is of a white man who, along with his friends, spent his free time beating brown people, sometimes to death. So far, reports the Times, a substantial number of potential jurors have recused themselves from serving on the trial of said white man who, in this case, killed a guy who worked at a dry cleaners, saying that they are either related to Mexicans or because they despise illegal immigrants. But they'll get there eventually, once they find people who have no opinion whatsoever on the irrelevant matter of immigration or, I guess, just straight up murdering strangers for no reason.
"and the allegations that have been raised that some residents there are biased against them." Allegations? Really NYT? "Allegations?"
Vincint Chin would like America to go fuck itself.
I was looking to see if the Judge conducted voir dire of the venire (like the shine on your table–lawyers luv poetry) en masse, or segregated potential jurors. It appears they were questioned as a group.
Because what I wonder is if part, or a lot, of what is involved here is an attack of juroritis. Many, if not most, people who shuffle into courtrooms want to get hell away ASAP. So they listen, and learn–what is getting my fellow Good And Trues of Suffolk County the hell out of here?
While the sentiments expressed as "reasons" for "difficulty being fair" include a lot of the disgusting bordering on sick, I suspect much of this is endemic laziness to engage that quaint act of public service we call jury duty. Not everyone is as civic-minded as an Alex Balk.
I would say the solution is obviously to empanel an all-black jury, except–it's Long Island.
(And I agree with KarenUhOh; I'm sure a lot of this is just standard jury-dodging.)
wait. But America is post-racial now, no?