Supreme Court rules judges don t need to justify juror dismissals – Arizona Capitol Times azcapitoltimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from azcapitoltimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Thursday that judges overseeing trials do not need to provide their rationale when ruling on whether a potential juror was dismissed based on race.
The case involved Keyaira Porter, a Black defendant who was acquitted of aggravated assault but found guilty of resisting arrest by a jury in March 2020. Porter appealed her conviction, arguing that prosecutors in her case dismissed the only two potential Black jurors because of their race. The prosecution also unsuccessfully tried to strike the only other minority member of the jury.
The Supreme Court ruling vacated a Court of Appeals decision that required the trial court to reinvestigate Porter s claim because the judge hadn t provided reasoning enough for their decision.