Projects

SMU Data Science Review · Summer 2022

One of the hallmarks of the American judicial system is the concept of trial by jury, and for said trial to consist of an impartial jury of your peers. Several landmark legal cases in the history of the United States have challenged this notion of equal representation by jury—most notably Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986). Most of the previous research, focus, and legal precedence has centered around peremptory challenges and attempting to prove if bias was suspected in excluding certain jurors from serving. Few studies, however, focus on examining challenges for cause based on self-reported biases from the venire, the group of potential jurors. This paper evaluates if there are any relationships of interest with respect to juror demographics and location regarding challenges for cause in non-death penalty felony criminal trials in Dallas County, TX.