Search

Black Mail Blog

Black History: Special Delivery!!

Tag

supreme court

U.S. Supreme Court Examines Racial Prejudice In Jury Discrimination

Black History: Special Delivery!!

 

United States Supreme Court
United States Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court will be examining racial prejudice in jury selection; as justices are considering a case involving a black teenager that was sentenced to death by an all white jury in the state of Georgia. The case is being brought as an appeal on behalf of Timothy Foster. Foster admitted to being involved in the murder of a 79 year old white woman back in 1987. He was sentenced to death by jurors. Lawyers are appealing the case because they say that Foster was intellectually disabled.

Prosecutors have continued to assert that Foster’s race had nothing to do with five black jurors being excluded from the jury pool. Notes from the original trial indicate that the race of 5 black jurors was note by prosecutors.  If the Supreme Court determines that the reasons for exclusion of these black jurors was not justified it could have significant implications for the U.S. justice system which could include having to administer  a legal procedure called the “Batson Test” which would require prosecutors to demonstrate non racial reasons for excluding a juror.

 

Steven Bright, Foster’s lawyer said, “The criminal-justice system is the part of society least affected by the civil rights movement: Ninety-five percent of the prosecutors in this country are white………but I go to the courthouse, its just like 1940.

Read more about his case at Theroot.com

http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2015/11/scotus_to_examine_racial_bias_in_jury_selection_case.html?wpisrc=topstories

***********************************************

Did you miss yesterday’s post? Click here to view it and learn about The Negro Digest, know as the black Readers Digest.

Quiz Answer: Who Was The First Black Woman To Argue and Win A Case Before The Supreme Court?

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

answer

Who Was The First Black Woman To Argue and Win A Case Before The Supreme Court?

Answer:  Lucy Terry Prince

Lucy Terry Prince came to America as a slave.  Her freedom was purchased by her husband at the time of their marriage.  The Supreme Court case was heard in Vermont in the 1790’s where she and her husband were landowners.  The case was brought to trial because land the couple owned was threatened to be taken due a false claim on the land being initiated.  Though Lucy did hire a lawyer to file the suit.  She chose to address the court on her own on the day of the trial without the assistance of her lawyer.  The amazing fact about Lucy was that she was not a trained lawyer.  However, she was still successful in winning her case.  The supreme court justice who heard the case remarked that Lucy presentation was better than many trained lawyers in his opinion.   To learn more about this amazing woman, click on the link below:

http://vermonthistory.org/images/stories/articles/greenmountaineer/lucyterryprince.pdf

One Question Quiz: Who Was The 1st Black Woman To Argue & Win A Case Before U.S. Supreme Court?

Black History:  Special Delivery!!

thJMF9OGV4

Take your best guess!!  No “surfing” the internet or using google to find the answer to find the answer!  Answer will be posted at 7pm on Tuesday, 8/18.

Who was the first black woman to argue and win a case before the supreme court?

A) Loretta Lynch

B)  Thurgood Marshall

C)  Charlotte Ray

D) Lucy Terry Prince

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑

%d bloggers like this: