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Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnicity?

Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnicity?

  • Yes they should allow a potential juror to be excluded due to race

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No a potential juror should not be excluded due to race

    Votes: 14 70.0%

  • Yes they should allow a potential juror to be excluded due to ethnicity

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No a potentiickeal juror should not be excluded due to ethnicity

    Votes: 14 70.0%

  • Yes they should allow a potential juror to be excluded due to beliefs

    Votes: 12 60.0%

  • No a potential juror should not be excluded due to beliefs

    Votes: 5 25.0%

  • other

    Votes: 4 20.0%
  • Total voters
    20
Re: Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnici

There was a classic study done about 50 or so years ago called "The American Voter" - to see how people vote.
Turns out about 40% (I would need a political science guru on this forum to confirm; It may be ~22%) are 'group benefit voters' - meaning they vote according to the candidate that supports their group.

Tocqueville said something along the lines of 'America is a nation of joiners'.

From this, I would surmise that Americans have the very big tendency to be 'biased' towards their respective 'group'.

By this logic, most of the people of the jury will unavoidably slant towards their group.

Makes sense?
 
Re: Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnici

Hmmm.....should an Evangelical Pro-life Christian be allowed to sit on the murder trial of a man accused of killing an abortionist?

Sure, why not? The abortionist isn't on trial, someone accused of killing him is.

====

Should Calypso Louis Farakhan be allowed to be on a jury trying a jewish man accused of running over a black child in the ghetto?

No, because he's a bigot.

Should Calypso Louis Farakhan be allowed to sit on a jury trying a black man accused of shooting a white shop keeper?

No, because he's a bigot.

Bigots really aren't capable of honest and rational thought, and shouldn't be on juries. When discovered, they should be ejected from the pool, permanently.
 
Re: Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnici

Partisan said:
First, I'd say 100% is inaccurate....
Secondly, Obama was the first viable black candidate ever put on the presidential ballot by a major party, so there really aren't any stats to compare it with..........:roll:
Click to expand...

Can you name any other black people put on the Democrat ticket for president?

No?

Then your use of the word "viable" is meaningless, since it implies other candidates were not viable, and in fact those candidates just don't exist. Chances are good in the last election that even that Clinton broad would have won against McCain, which is why the Democrats have been pushing a McCain candidacy for so long.

Completely off topic, of course.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnici

A third, disinterested party should chose the jury, not the people in the court room.
Everyone has beliefs and opinions; but they become a detrament when they "fall in love" with these.
I am reminded of "Twelve Angry Men" with Henry Fonda and other very good actors, one or two of the jurors should never have made the cut..
Without even the mercy of question, a man's religion, faith, creed, should not be a factor. And forget the "race" business, there is only the human race!
His mental health should be a consideration, absolutely... I'd never make it:(.
This area, jury selection, does need reform and change..
Spelling errors ? yes.
 
Re: Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnici

Scarecrow Akhbar said:
Then your use of the word "viable" is meaningless, since it implies other candidates were not viable, and in fact those candidates just don't exist.
Click to expand...

Just a little semantics here:

well instead of viable, insert healthy, it makes perfect sense. "Was the first 'healthy' candidate". Similar in structure to " was the first 'viable' candidate"

Just because there was no one to compare him to, you could still call him a viable candidate. His status as a candidate is independent of those before him.

But yea, that's just semantics, and off topic.
 
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Re: Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnici

My answers to the poll question:
  1. No a potential juror should not be excluded due to race.
  3. No a potential juror should not be excluded due to ethnicity.
  4. Yes they should allow a potential juror to be excluded due to beliefs.

As far as I am aware, jurors are routinely excluded due to their beliefs.

If a potential juror in a trial of a drunk driver who killed someone had their child killed in the same way, they will most likely be biased against him.

If a potential juror believes all black persons are thieving rapists, they should be excluded from the trial of a black person who is accused of being a thief and/or rapist.

Beliefs are probably the most common reason for excluding a potential juror. If not the only reason.
 
Re: Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnici

If there is an expressed prejudice on the part of the potential juror than he / she is disqualified. Simple.
 
Re: Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnici

Scarecrow Akhbar said:
Partisan said:

Can you name any other black people put on the Democrat ticket for president?
No?

Then your use of the word "viable" is meaningless, since it implies other candidates were not viable, and in fact those candidates just don't exist. Chances are good in the last election that even that Clinton broad would have won against McCain, which is why the Democrats have been pushing a McCain candidacy for so long.

Completely off topic, of course.
Click to expand...

That's what I said, if you read the post.....:roll:
Well actually, I said, "major party"......;)
If they were viable, they would have won the primary....
No black candidate has even come close before...
Click to expand...
 
Re: Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnici

jamesrage said:
Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on their beliefs,race or ethnicity? The are poll options asking yes or no for each.


Aafia Siddiqui demands no Jewish jurors at attempted murder trial - Times Online

A Pakistani scientist who is the only woman accused of working with the al-Qaeda leadership has demanded that Jews should be excluded from the jury at her trial in New York.

Aafia Siddiqui called for jurors to undergo genetic testing in an outburst in federal court in Manhattan yesterday.

“If they have a Zionist or Israeli background . . . they are all mad at me,” Ms Siddiqui, an American-educated neuroscientist, said. “I have a feeling everyone here is them [sic] — subject to genetic testing. They should be excluded if you want to be fair,” she told the judge.
Click to expand...

most jews will definitely have a bias against muslims.
 
Re: Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnici

cope2 said:
most jews will definitely have a bias against muslims.
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Much like most people of any ethnic, religious, or cultural groups will have a measure of intrinsic bias for their own group and against others. That's what you meant by this, right? I'd hate to think you were making some broad and unsupportable claim about an entire group.
 
Re: Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnici

cope2 said:
most jews will definitely have a bias against muslims.
Click to expand...

If it is only Jews, the World is more screwed up than I thought.
 
Re: Should someone not be allowed to serve on a jury based on beliefs,race or ethnici

Partisan said:
Scarecrow Akhbar said:
That's what I said, if you read the post.....:roll:
Well actually, I said, "major party"......;)
If they were viable, they would have won the primary....
No black candidate has even come close before...
Click to expand...

Obama bewitched Americans into forgetting he was black. Chris Mathews confirmed this by exclaiming that he "forgot [Obama] was black tonight for an hour... :lol:
Click to expand...
 
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