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91 Temp. L. Rev. Online 1 (2019)

handle is hein.journals/tlro91 and id is 1 raw text is: A PLAN OF OUR OWN: THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA'S INITIATIVE TO INCREASE JURY DIVERSITY Chief Judge Juan R. Snchez ABSTRACT Jury diversity is essential to ensuring the fair and impartial administration of justice for all. As our communities grow and continue to become more diverse, it is imperative that courts take steps to ensure their jury pools are reflective of the communities they serve. While empirical evidence demonstrates the value of jury diversity, it remains a difficult topic for courts to address. As the newest and first Latino Chief Judge of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, two of my primary goals are ensuring that the court's jury pool reflects the demographics of the district's nine counties and every citizen has the opportunity to participate in the administration of justice. To these ends, the court has implemented four major reforms to improve its jury selection process. This effort is designed to promote the diversity of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania's jury pool and foster community engagement that encourages participation within the legal system. TABLE OF CONTENTS IN T R O D U C T IO N ..................................................................................................................1 I. B A CK G R O U N D ................................................................................................ . 4 A. The Importance of Juror D iversity....................................................... 5 B. The Challenges of Achieving Jury Diversity .....................................10 II. CHANGES WITHIN THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA.............16 C O N C L U SIO N ....................................................................................................................19 INTRODUCTION Imagine a young woman testifying on the witness stand about a criminal case involving a robbery that left two people dead. She is the only witness * Juan R. Sanchez has served as a United States District Court Judge since 2004. Prior to serving as a District Court Judge, he served as a judge on the Court of Common Pleas of Chester County, Pennsylvania, and spent fourteen years in the Chester County Public Defender's Office. He was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Bronx, New York, when he was twelve. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from City College of the City University of New York, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He became Chief Judge on August 1, 2018. The views expressed here are his own. He would like to thank his law clerks Vidhi Joshi, Esq., Tyler Burns, Esq., and Brett Feldman, Esq. for their contributions to this Article. 1

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