“[T]here Appears to be Intentional Discrimination in the Panel”: The Case for Abolishing Peremptory Challenges in Georgia

Authors

Ariane Williams, Piedmont Circuit Public Defender's Office

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986), the Supreme Court attempted to prevent peremptory strikes motivated by race. However, evidence and jurisprudence since Batson have indicated that the Court did not succeed. Furthermore, peremptory strikes perpetuate racial imbalance in juries and erode public faith in an unbiased legal system, as seen in reactions to the recent McMichael-Bryant trial in Georgia, in which only one black juror was seated. Given the longstanding and intractable issues with peremptory challenges, the Arizona Supreme Court decided to eliminate them entirely in 2021. This Article argues that Georgia should follow suit and abolish peremptory challenges.

Recommended Citation

Williams, Ariane (2024) "“[T]here Appears to be Intentional Discrimination in the Panel”: The Case for Abolishing Peremptory Challenges in Georgia," Georgia Criminal Law Review: Vol. 2: No. 1, Article 7.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/gclr/vol2/iss1/7