When prosecutors and defense attorneys pick a jury, they can ask any relevant question of the potential jurors. When a potential juror's answer indicates they cannot be impartial, the lawyer can legally keep them off the jury. In addition, each side gets a limited...
jury selection
Why are there so many all-white juries convicting black people?
According to a 1986 U.S. Supreme Court decision called Batson v. Kentucky, it violates the Equal Protection Clause for prosecutors to intentionally exclude potential jury members because of race. When the defense suspects the prosecutor is excluding jurors based on...
Should a history of prosecutor misconduct be considered on appeal?
Curtis Flowers was convicted of murdering the owner of a furniture store he once worked in, along with three employees. The alleged motive was revenge -- the store owner had fired him and withheld most of his final paycheck to pay for merchandise he had supposedly...