George Zimmerman Jury Selection Ends with All Women Illiciting Notions of Juror Bias
With the George Zimmerman trial set to begin on Monday, focus has now shifted to the jury that will hear the case brought against the man accused of killing Trayvon Martin.
After the defense and prosecution finished selecting the jury it was left with six women, all of which are white, except for one, who is Hispanic. During the selection process the issue of race, in relation to the selection process, was a constant focal point.
"I would now ask the state to give a race-neutral reason why they have struck four white women in a row," defense attorney Mark O'Mara said.
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In response, Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson asked Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda to give his race and gender neutral explanations for each dismissal. The judge, however, rejected the prosecutor's argument in both of those cases.
After the process ended O'Mara said he had followed court procedure.
"That's how the process works," he told reporters outside of the courthouse. "Tell me that we did something wrong with this process and I'll look at it."
But questions still remain regarding the ability for a fair and objective trial given the makeup of the jury and the major role race plays in this trial.
In a statement, lawyers for Trayvon's family said: "With the makeup of this jury, the question of whether every American can get equal justice regardless of who serves on their jury panel will be answered."
There were four alternates jurors selected, two men and two women, all of whom are white.
Jose Baez, the Florida defense attorney who was lead defense counsel during the Casey Anthony case, gave the jury advantage to the defense team.
"I think the defense clearly won the day on this one," Baez told CBS. "Any way you slice and dice it, this is a defense jury."
