Opinion ID: 271339
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Selection of the Jury Panel.

Text: 50 Curry challenges the method of selecting juries in the Eastern District of New York, claiming that it systematically excludes Negroes from jury service. Judge Dooling held a hearing and made extensive and complete findings on this issue. He concluded that no intentional exclusion of Negroes or of any class of persons had taken place and that no manifestly workable and economically feasible method that would better secure a representative jury list had been neglected. We agree. 51 Essentially, Curry's claim is that the Negro population in the Eastern District of New York is centered in 'islands' of concentration and that the method of compiling the jury list failed adequately to account for this disproportion. 9 We find that, although the method for compiling the list does not completely take into account the unevenly distributed population, it does not violate constitutional requirements. 52 Voter registration lists form the basis for 99 per cent of the prospective jurors. 10 Names are chosen at random from the voter list of each assembly district in the Eastern District to comprise the petit jury list of 7000 to 7500. This basic list is replenished or expanded as the need arises by qualifying additional persons randomly selected from the voter registration lists. Under a plan recently adopted by the Jury Clerks, these additional names are selected from only a few of the assembly districts in the District at any one time. The Clerks have insufficient funds and personnel to draw on a random basis the relatively few names added each year from all the districts. However, over a long period of time, the system is designed to insure that each assembly districy will contribute a representative number of persons to the jury list. Curry's chief argument appears to be that those added in this manner in recent years have not come from districts with a high Negro population. 53 The petit jury 'box' or 'wheel' here contained at least 300 juror cards chosen at random from the jury list in the manner required by 28 U.S.C. 1864. The jury which served during Curry's second trial was chosen from among 300 persons summoned for jury duty on November 4, 1963. Of the 170 of these persons who entered upon jury service, two or three appeared to be Negroes. One hundred ten veniremen were sent to the part of the court in which Curry's case was pending. None of these appeared to be Negro. 54 One these facts, we conclude, as did Judge Dooling, that Curry has not established, as he must, see Swain v. State of Alabama, 380 U.S. 202, 205-209, 85 S.Ct. 824, 13 L.Ed.2d 759 (1965), a prima facie case of discrimination The method of selection appears designed neither to favor nor discriminate against any particular group. It is axiomatic at this late date that 'proportional representation' or any method of intentionally attempting to select jurors on the basis of racial, religious, economic or social grouping is not required by the Constitution and indeed would be an unworkable and repugnant policy. See, e.g., United States v. Flynn, 216 F.2d 354, 388 (2 Cir. 1954), cert. denied, 348 U.S. 909, 75 S.Ct. 295, 99 L.Ed. 713 (1955). 'The Constitution requires only a fair jury selected without regard to race.' Cassell v. State of Texas, 339 U.S. 282, 286, 70 S.Ct. 629, 631, 94 L.Ed. 839 (1950). 55 In any small sample of a group this size (here, 3,000,000 voters), it is probable that the sample will not reflect a cross-section of the community. And, of course, the fewer assembly districts that are included in the sample, the greater the homogeneity of the panel, since members of the same racial, religious and social groups tend to congregate in the same geographical areas. Therefore, it is to be expected that there will be a disparity between a model cross-section of the community and the sample comprising the petit jury list, and more so with those who are ultimately called for service during one particular period, or those assigned to a particular trial part, or those chosen to serve on a particular jury. 56 While it is desirable to include a larger number of names on the jury list, and to choose additional names from more assembly districts, the Jury Clerks can only be required to work within the limits of personnel and funds which are available to them, provided that minimum standards are met. Although total exclusion or only token inclusion of a particular race on all juries in a district may be evidence of systematic discrimination, see, e.g., Smith v. State of Texas, 311 U.S. 128, 61 S.Ct. 164, 85 L.Ed. 84 (1940), 'an imperfect system is not equivalent to purposeful discrimination based on race.' Swain v. State of Alabama, 380 U.S. at 209, 85 S.Ct. at 830. 57 In the cases cited by Curry to support his contention, Negroes were excluded from juries in districts with long histories of such discriminatory conduct. This class of cases was distinguished by this court in United States v. Flynn, supra. Curry has failed to establish a 'purposeful, systematic non-inclusion because of color' which would indicate that discrimination has taken place. Cassell v. State of Texas, 339 U.S. at 291, 70 S.Ct. at 633 (frankfurter, J., concurring). Nor has he justified an inference that discrimination has taken place by showing a continued absence of Negroes on juries in the District. Compare Smith v. State of Texas, supra; United States ex rel. Seals v. Wiman, 304 F.2d 53 (5 Cir. 1962), cert. denied, 372 U.S. 924, 83 S.Ct. 741, 9 L.Ed. 729 (1963). We therefore agree with the district judge that Curry has failed to establish a prima facie case of discrimination in the selection of the juries in the Eastern District of New York. 58