Obama-appointed federal judge dismisses case against Bronx shooting suspect over lack of jury diversity
June 29, 2021 | Jon Dougherty
A U.S. district judge nominated by former President Barack Obama has dismissed a case against a shooting suspect from the Bronx in New York City over a lack of “diversity” in the jury.
In her ruling, Judge Analisa Torres agreed with William Scott, the defendant, after he argued that there were not enough black and Hispanic people in the jury pool after an indictment was returned against him a year ago this month.
Charged in the White Plains division of the Southern District of New York, Scott was allegedly in possession of ammunition linked to a shooting in the Bronx, the New York Post reported.
Scott argued through his attorney that since he was charged in the White Plains district and not the more diverse Manhattan district, potential jurors from southern counties were excluded by prosecutors, thus prejudicing the outcome.
“Defendant has produced clear statistical evidence of underrepresentation of Black and Latinx individuals in the pool from which his grand jury was drawn, and a jury selection process that was susceptible to abuse,” the judge wrote.
The ruling also noted that prosecutors charged Scott in White Plains “amidst a global pandemic that suspended grand juries across the country.”
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