The Louisiana Supreme Court is ordering a state judge to determine why young people in East Baton Rouge Parish aren’t being called for jury duty.
The Advocate reports the court directed Caddo Parish District Judge Ramona Emanuel to pause jury selection and examine a claim by defense lawyers that of 566 possible jurors summoned for a murder trial, none are younger than 26.
The ruling comes in the case of Grover Cannon, accused of first-degree murder of Thomas LaValley, a Shreveport police officer.
Defendants have a constitutional right to be tried by a jury of their peers, and eligibility starts at age 18, but the MacArthur Justice Center found that records show the youngest Baton Rouge residents called to jury service in recent years are now approaching 26.
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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com
