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Jurors Selected: George Zimmerman Trial
Article below. 6 jurors - all women, 5 white, one Hispanic. 4 alternates - 2 men and 2 women.
Hypothetically, if GZ gets found guilty, couldn't he go for a mistrial or an appeal based on that his jury didn't really contain his "peers" since there are no men??? I'm not sure how an all female jury is fair.
"Six women were chosen Thursday to decide the fate of George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch captain accused of murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
The six jurors were seated after a nearly two-week long jury selection process, in which potential jurors were grilled about their prior knowledge of the case and their personal beliefs on guns, law enforcement and media coverage of the fatal shooting.
Two men and two women also were picked as alternate jurors.
The six final jurors are all women ? five are white and one is Hispanic.
"We've got a jury, which is great," Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara said at a press conference Thursday afternoon. "I sort of hoped that we would get one in Seminole County, thought we would and I'm very glad that I was right, because this way we don't have to trouble moving around."
The racial and ethnic makeup of potential jurors is relevant, prosecutors say. They have argued that Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, profiled Trayvon Martin when he followed the black teen last year as Martin was walking back from a convenience store to the house of his father's fiancee.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: ZIMMERMAN TRIAL
Zimmerman admitted to shooting Martin in the chest with his 9-mm. handgun after calling police, exiting his pickup truck to follow Martin, and then getting into a fight with the teenager on a rainy night inside a gated community in Sanford, Fla., on February 12, 2012.
But Zimmerman also says the teen circled back and attacked him as he walked back to his truck ? punching him in the face and slamming the back of his head into the sidewalk.
Photographs taken that night show Zimmerman with a broken nose, bruises and bloody cuts on the back of his head.
Zimmerman could face life in prison if convicted on second-degree murder charges. He claims he shot Martin in self-defense. A 44-day delay in Zimmerman's arrest led to protests around the United States.
Attorneys whittled the pool of hundreds of potential jurors down to 40 for the second round of questioning, and from there six jurors and four alternates were chosen. The potential jurors were given numbers to protect their identities during the selection process.
Juror B-29, Juror B-76, Juror B-37, Juror B-51, Juror E-6 and Juror E-40 were the final six jurors selected.
The case has gained national attention, and, during the first round of jury selection, potential jurors were questioned at length about their knowledge of the case.
"I haven't lived under a rock for the past year" said Juror B-51. "It's pretty hard for people not to have gotten some information."
Two of the jurors recently moved to the area -- one from Iowa and one from Chicago -- and two are involved with rescuing animals as their hobbies.
One juror had a prior arrest, but she said it was disposed of and she thought she was treated fairly. Two jurors have guns in their homes.
All of the jurors will be sequestered during the trial, which is expected to last two to four weeks.
Opening statements are scheduled for Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/06/20/six-women-picked-as-jurors-in-george-zimmerman-trial/#ixzz2WnXJtwLq
Re: Jurors Selected: George Zimmerman Trial
I'm confused as to why you think an all female jury is unfair for Zimmerman. Why? Have you seen stats that say women are more bloodthirsty or something? Honestly, if anything I would think it would be the opposite.
And why would you say men and women can't be peers? I don't get that.
I asked a hypothetical...CNN had a big online discussion about this and others wondered the same thing so I brought it here for our own discussion.
I didn't say that "men and women cannot be peers," that's your phraseology. But your post does actually hit directly at the issue.
I think when people generally think of ?peers? or a ?peer group? they think of others like themselves.
Of this group of six women, 5 are white, 1 is Hispanic. 2 own guns in their homes. 2 are new FL transplants from the Midwest.
These are their ?juror bios??
?B-29: Described as a Hispanic woman, who works as a nurse treating patients with Alzheimer's. She has seven children and lived in Chicago at the time of the February 2012 shooting.
B-76: Described as a white middle-aged woman, who said Zimmerman had an "altercation with the young man. There was a struggle, and the gun went off."
B-37: Described as a middle-aged white woman, who works for a chiropractor and has many pets. She described protests in Sanford sparked after the delay in Zimmerman's arrest as "rioting."
B-51: Described as a retired white woman from Oviedo, Fla., who has a dog and 20-year-old cat. She knew a good deal about the case but said, "I'm not rigid in my thinking."
E-6: Described as a young white woman and mother, who used to work in financial services. She used this case as an example to her adolescent children, warning them to not go out at night.
E-40: Described as a white woman in her 60s, who lived in Iowa at the time of the shooting. She heard national news reports and recalls the shooting was in a gated community and a teenager was killed.?
I just think it?s odd that there are no men here. Just about 50% of this nation is male and yet we have an all female jury. Also, why no African Americans?
Let?s turn this around. Do you think an all male jury hearing a case involving a violent offense, the person on trial being a woman, would be a good representation of her peer group?
I don?t. I wager many people would take issue with this seeing the jury as possibly biased in some way.
Lol...okay, you did not say "men and women can't be peers." You said, "his jury didn't contain his "peers" since there are no men." Is that not the same thing? Just own it, man! Jeesh.
As for your hypothetical, I honestly think it depends. I think a woman who is accused of shooting another woman could potentially get a fair trial by a jury of 6 men. It depends on the men. Just as in Zimmerman's scenario is dependent on the women.
If you believe the jury selection process has worked, then the gender of the jurists should not be cause for complaint.
Zimmerman is happy with his jury of women. According to various news reports, the judge asked if he was happy with the jury, and he said yes. I think it's very likely Zimmerman thinks he has a better chance with an all woman jury.
If you were in his situation and didn't want a jury of one gender, your lawyer would use his or her peremptory challenges and challenges for cause to make sure you didn't get one. Jury selection is a science.
Do I think it is odd that all the jurors are female? Yes.
Do I think GZ will try to get a retrial because of it (if he is founf guilty)? Yes.
Do I think a jury of all women is unfiar? No.
IMO, a jury of all-black men would be unfair. Or even all-minority people in general. But, although it is weird and I have not seen it before, an all-female jury will be just as impartial as a jury of males and females.
I was selected for jury duty once, and by the end of the process, the jury was all men and only one female for a crime similar to the one GZ is accused of. It really depends on how the jurors answer the questions of the attorneys.
This is a reason why I think GZ is pleased with this jury selection (bolded). It seems in our nation now, many people cry or try to cry foul if they think something is unfair to them even in the slightest amount regardless of whether or not it makes sense or it based on fact.
I do believe the female jurors will do their best to make a verdict based on fact and I would give this belief to a mixed group or to a group of men only. This is the basic benefit of the doubt we give a jury - that they are capable of being impartial, unbiased, and of using their rational thought upon review of the facts.
But I do think if GZ is found guilty, his attornies will play the "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" line and assert that this group of jurors could in no way understand or grasp the situation that their client (a male) was facing...men respond differently to conflict, men have an innate bent toward violence, men have higher levels of testosterone, etc. could all be angles they would play to get a mistrial or a retrial.
Please note, I'm not advocating that this potential response (if a guilty verdict comes through) of GZ's team would be correct, I'm simply stating that it could be possible.
I agree. I am wondering how it will play out if it happens. Surely women's rights groups will be completely up in arms. Women and men are equals- so why wouldn't a group of women be seen as a man's peers?
It will certainly be interesting to watch, if it happens.
Why would all-black men be unfair but all-white women fair?
White women can be impartial but black men can't??
This is my understanding as well. Zimmerman has given this Jury his stamp of approval. If he wanted to make a case for appeal, he would have to raise issue with the jury NOW.
Instead, his lawyer helped to stack the jury this way and when the judge asked if he was satisfied with the jury, Zimmerman responded, "yes." What on earth would be cause for appeal? It's clear we have a lot of people up in this thread who have never even taken a law class, and have no understanding of what goes into jury selection.
To the PP who said that women's groups should be up in arms...hilarious. What an interesting claim.
This is not quite as cut and dry as you might think. If an attorney challenged a juror "for cause" ie they have something that makes them ineligible or predisposed to be impartial the judge might still deny it. If you did not have any peremptory challenges left then you have no choice but to accept that juror but potentially might be able to argue on appeal that a particular juror should not have been able to help decide the case.Sometimes juror ineligibility comes out after a case has been heard ie you might find out that someone is a convicted felon or lied about knowing or being related to the victim. . I've never been to law school but this is pretty common knowledge if you follow any legal cases.
I am well aware how Voir Dire works, snp605.
When the judge asked Zimmerman if he was happy with the jury, he said "yes." He is happy with this jury. If he was unhappy and wanting to raise the issue with the judge, his attorney would file a motion. The motion would have most likely been denied, but after trial, upon appeal, he would have a leg to stand on if he brought a complaint about the makeup of the jury.
If his intention is to raise issue with the jury, should he actually be convicted, his attorney would have complained regardless of having no more peremptory challenges or challenges for cause. He would want it on record. To help the appeal. Get it?
This is common practice. Lawyers often file motions for dismissal, and other things, prior to trial, fully knowing the judge will deny it. They want a complaint on record for appeal.
yeah...that did not go over well, from what I've read. Maybe Zimmerman is hoping for appeal on grounds of incompetent representation? lol!
lol!
The joke was about the jury selection too. Odd. Very odd. I think we will be hearing more about the jury.
I am very curious as to what you think the joke meant, ML. You do know that lawyers don't make vaugue references about being unhappy with the jury. He would make the point loud and clear...so he could reference his displeasure during appeal.
The joke seems to be just a big mistake by Zimmerman's attorney. An attempt at levity when none was called for. A tactical error, if you will.
Do you see it differently?
ETA: I agree we will be hearing more about the jury from the MEDIA. However, if Zimmerman raises the issue on appeal, he will have an uphill battle. The selection was fair and balanced and he gave the judge his verbal approval. Doesn't matter how many pundits and message board participants want to raise issue with it. He does not have an inherently unfair jury, and an appeal based upon the makeup of the jury is a loooooooooong shot.