The Supreme Court interpretation of the Sixth Amendment requires that trial juries in both federal and state criminal trials be selected from “a representative cross-section of the community.” It also guarantees trial by a jury of peers. That phrase does not mean that, say, a student facing criminal charges must have a jury of students or that female defendants must have an all-female jury. Discuss what potential problems exist in attempting to provide a defendant with a jury of persons exclusively similar to him/her. Is such an effort possible…practical? Discuss who YOU would prefer to have on a jury if you found yourself to be a defendant in a criminal trial and why?
