Pools

Revamping Jury Pay: A Push to Bridge the Racial Gap in Connecticut’s Jury Pools

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Hartford, CT — Recent discussions around jury summoning reforms in Connecticut have refocused attention on systemic issues within the state’s legal apparatus, particularly regarding disparities in jury pools. Despite past recommendations from a specialized task force aimed at addressing these issues, legislative inertia has persisted, particularly around the vital topic of juror compensation. The task force, previously led by former Chief Justice Robinson, engaged deeply with the process of summoning jurors—a critical step that has proved resistant to improvement. Insights from Harry Weller, a retired senior assistant state’s attorney who co-chaired the committee on this … Read more

Connecticut Struggles to Reflect Diversity in Jury Pools Despite Reforms, Raising Questions About Justice System Fairness

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HARTFORD, Conn.— Over a decade ago, Shirin Bryant stood in a courtroom and watched as a predominantly white jury absolved the police officer who fatally shot her 18-year-old brother, Jashon, sparking her enduring distrust in Connecticut’s legal system. The officer, detective Robert Lawlor, had claimed he saw the Black teenager holding a gun, a claim uncorroborated by the absence of a recovered firearm at the scene. Now, years later, despite reforms aimed at diversifying jury selection, state data reveals ongoing underrepresentation of minorities in many Connecticut judicial districts. In 2009, the incident that ended in … Read more