Jan. 30, 2026
California retools jury selection law to confront Batson/Wheeler legacy failures
A new California law meant to fix decades of racially biased jury selection is drawing pushback from lawyers who say it's unworkable -- while old convictions tainted by the system it replaced are being reopened.
In the 1970s, the California Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Rose E. Bird tried to curb racist jury stacking through what became known as the Batson/Wheeler process.
It was an effort that largely failed, casting a long shadow that today haunts a fresh effort by state lawmakers to ensure that fair juries decide cases. As with Batson/Wheeler, there have been protests by lawyers and law enforcement groups and an uneasy look back at flawed convictions.
The new law's re...
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