Opinion ID: 1693045
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Women on the Jury

Text: This trial and conviction occurred during the month of January 1974. At that time, relying upon Hoyt v. Florida, 368 U.S. 57, 82 S.Ct. 159, 7 L.Ed.2d 118 (1961), this Court had consistently held that exclusion of women from jury duty, unless they manifested their willingness to serve as required by Article VII, Section 41, of the Constitution and Article 402 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, violates no federal constitutional guarantee. State v. Jack, 285 So.2d 204 (La.1973). This was the law of this State at the time of the instant trial. The later decision of the United States Supreme Court in Taylor v. Louisiana, 419 U.S. 522, 95 S.Ct. 692, 42 L.Ed.2d 690, holding Louisiana's jury selection system for women unconstitutional, was decided on January 21, 1975 and was held not to be retroactive in Daniel v. Louisiana, 420 U.S. 31, 95 S.Ct. 704, 42 L.Ed. 2d 790 decided January 27, 1975. It was not error, as defense counsel contends, to exclude women from the jury in this trial as a result of their failure to comply with Louisiana's Constitution requiring that they manifest their willingness to serve. La.Const. art. VII, ¶ 41; La. Code Crim.Proc. art. 402.