Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Racial Discrimination in Jury Selection
In 1987, an 18-year-old black man named Timothy Foster stood trial for murder in Georgia. During jury selection, the prosecution eliminated ALL the black jurors from the pool, citing reasons like “appeared confused” and “did not make eye contact.”
By Madeleine Brand • • 1 min readIn 1987, an 18-year-old black man named Timothy Foster stood trial for murder in Georgia. During jury selection, the prosecution eliminated ALL the black jurors from the pool, citing reasons like “appeared confused” and “did not make eye contact.” The all-white jury then sentenced Foster to death...and for nearly thirty years now, the case has been an example of how racial discrimination in jury selection has managed to survive. Today, Foster’s case has reached the Supreme Court.
