The Search for Greater Juror Diversity: The Case of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington

Previous examinations of jury pools for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington found that the court's prospective jurors were older, more educated, and more likely to be of European American ancestry than the individuals in the counties from which their names were drawn. This phenomenon has been credited to the court's exclusive use of voter registration lists in calling prospective jurors. However, two things have occurred that could have changed this bias. First, one year before the passage of the national Motor Voter Act in 1993, the state of Washington implemented its own version of the act. Second, beginning in 1995, the district court began to supplement its source lists with driver's license and state-issued identification card lists. By examining the characteristics of individuals who were excused, exempted, or disqualified from service with those who were not, the authors were able to assess the impact of each of these developments. The Motor Voter Act had little to do with the jury pool's diversity. However, as intended, numbers of individuals eligible for jury duty, as well as the diversity of eligible jurors, increased significantly. Although under the 1995 additions more minorities became qualified, more minorities were excused from jury duty. However, the "mid-American" composition of jury pools diminished after 1995.