Results tagged “circuitcourt”
. . . not because it's necessarily a bad plan. Not long ago, Bostonist told you about an attempt by Judge Nancy Gertner of the Federal District Court of Massachusetts to change the way federal criminal juries are selected. She was concerned that blacks made up only three percent of the people in jury pools, although they constitute six percent of the population in the eastern counties of Massachusetts from which jurors are drawn, so she devised a way to increase the number of jurors from underrepresented ZIP codes (which tend to be largely minority). Bostonist liked the plan because it was race-neutral (i.e., it didn't affirmatively favor the selection of, say, black citizens) but would have the effect of correcting statistical underrepresentation on a geographic baisis, wherever it occurred (so if Wellesley and Weston weren't contributing their share of jurors, that would get fixed too).
While Bostonist loves our fair city (and its accompanying metropolitan area), we must confess that racial segregation and low-level tension among races are a frustrating reality. Lately, that reality has lead to some interesting legal battles, especially in the Federal District Court, where bold steps may be taken to make juries in criminal trials more racially diverse. Or maybe these steps won't be taken. Read on.
When John Roberts was initially announced as the Bush administration's pick to succeed Sandra Day "Swing" O'Connor, Bostonist couldn't help but feel disappointed, as it signalled the end of our own governor's dark horse candidacy for the Supreme Court post. But now our hopes are alive again, as Roberts has been bumped up and nominated chief (sorry, Nino!). If his confirmation goes as quickly and happily as everyone seems to think, Mitt could get the...