Foster v. Chatman: Injustice in Juries
Faculty Sponsor
Julia Stronks, Whitworth University
Research Project Abstract
In 1986 in Rome, Georgia, Timothy Tyrone Foster, an eighteen-year old African American was charged with the murder of Queen White, an elderly White woman. During the trial all of the African American Potential Jurists were summarily excluded through the use of peremptory strikes. This let to a thirty year Batson challenge that is being decided by the U.S Supreme Court today. Racial discrimination utilizing peremptory strikes as veil of secrecy continue to plague the judicial system. Foster v. Chatman has the potential to define when there should be interference with the peremptory strike and when oversight is inappropriate. The research that I performed examined the history of the Batson, the case that has defined jury discrimination, and incorporated an extensive analysis of how the Supreme Court Justices at the time of writing will likely decide on the issue.
Session Number
RS11
Location
Robinson 141
Abstract Number
RS11-e
Foster v. Chatman: Injustice in Juries
Robinson 141
In 1986 in Rome, Georgia, Timothy Tyrone Foster, an eighteen-year old African American was charged with the murder of Queen White, an elderly White woman. During the trial all of the African American Potential Jurists were summarily excluded through the use of peremptory strikes. This let to a thirty year Batson challenge that is being decided by the U.S Supreme Court today. Racial discrimination utilizing peremptory strikes as veil of secrecy continue to plague the judicial system. Foster v. Chatman has the potential to define when there should be interference with the peremptory strike and when oversight is inappropriate. The research that I performed examined the history of the Batson, the case that has defined jury discrimination, and incorporated an extensive analysis of how the Supreme Court Justices at the time of writing will likely decide on the issue.
