Juries Cannot Be Dismissed Based on Race

Earlier this year, Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Olu Stevens dismissed the jury in Charles Evans’ trial. Evans’ Attorney, Sheila Sanders, argued that Evans’ would not receive a fair trial since the jury only had one black man. Judge Stevens agreed and dismissed the jury. This was not the first time that Judge Stevens dismissed a jury panel based on its racial make-up.

The case was put on hold again while the Kentucky Court of Appeals made the decision if dismissing a jury was within the rights of the Judge. The ruling comes almost a month later. The Court of Appeals ruled that the law requires the potential juror pool to represent a fair cross-section of the community; it does not require that the jury panel itself to be an accurate representation of the community.