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Racial injustice and police brutality have rightfully been front-and-center in the nationwide discussion about the inherent unfairness of our legal system. Racism infects all aspects<\/a> of that system. As we continue to grapple with issues of systemic racism, it is important to shine a light on one of the low-hanging fruit of racial injustice: the jury box, and the fact that those who sit in it are rarely a true cross section of the community.<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, in ensuring racial equity in jury selection, Massachusetts lags behind. A 1994 report by a commission impaneled by the Supreme Judicial Court to study racial and ethnic bias in the courts<\/a> found that \u201cminorities are underrepresented on juries\u201d in Massachusetts. Almost 30 years later, this problem endures. During the last few years, multiple<\/a> convictions<\/a> have been reversed by the SJC based on allegations of racial bias in jury selection \u2014 prosecutors removing jurors of color at higher rates than white jurors. More broadly, data from trial courts show that seated jurors are not only predominantly white; they are disproportionately<\/i> white.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n For example, from January through September 2021<\/a>, white people made up 71 percent of the population but 81 percent of impaneled jurors. In both absolute and comparative terms, white people are substantially more likely to be part of the jury than they would be if they were proportionally represented. Latinx and Asian American <\/b>residents, on the other hand, are far less likely to be jurors relative to their representation in the state, as the Trial Court\u2019s own data<\/a> show.<\/span><\/p>\n