Court Opinion

ID: 9464936
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 23:46:56.247115+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:38:53.528835
License: Public Domain

CHAMBERS, Circuit Judge,
concurring:
I join in the majority opinion but make one observation. The majority relies on Castaneda v. Partida, 430 U.S. 482, 97 S.Ct. 1272, 51 L.Ed.2d 498 (1977), for the proposition that substantial under-representation of a cognizable group in the pool of potential jurors is a constitutional violation and therefore a violation of the Jury Selection and Service Act [Act]. While Castaneda is instructive, it should be remembered that Castaneda is an equal protection attack on *1135a state grand jury selection system. The Supreme Court has already suggested that the focus of the Act is identical to the constitutional standards surrounding sixth and fifth amendment challenges to jury selection plans. See Taylor v. Louisiana, 419 U.S. 522, 528-30, 95 S.Ct. 692, 42 L.Ed.2d 690 (1975). While the standard in Taylor is expressed in terms of “systematic exclusion”, 419 U.S. at 538, 95 S.Ct. 692, Castaneda suggests that substantial under-representation will now suffice.