In Florida, unlike California, only six jurors are selected
to try a criminal matter. The exception is capital cases where the death
penalty is sought. In those cases a panel of 12 jurors must be chosen. In
George Zimmerman’s murder trial, a panel of only six jurors was chosen after
nearly two weeks of jury selection process. All the jurors happen to be
females. Five of them are Caucasian. There are 4 alternates, 2 males and 2
females.
Due to high profile nature of the criminal trial, all jurors’
names will be confidential and they will be sequestered, which means they won’t
be allowed any communication of any type with the community during the course
of the trial. They may be allowed very short visits with their family members
at the hotel where they will be staying.
Does an all-female jury help the defense or the prosecution?
There are arguments on both sides. Some may think having a panel of all women
is not a fair cross-section of the community. But apparently, the prosecution
and the defense both allowed that to happen. Women and especially mothers tend
to favor the victims. Their decision could potentially be affected by their
emotions if they have to make a close call. This could work against Zimmerman.
On the other hand, women are very protective of their
children and want order in place. So, they may believe that one who creates
disturbance must be treated with authority. Does that mean Zimmerman could kill
if Trayvon in fact attacked him? That would depend on a number of facts. That’s
why eventually, male or female, the jurors would have to use their reasonable judgment
to come up with a verdict.
