From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Keith Davis, a mail clerk and package handler from Alpharetta, Georgia, served on a jury in a murder trial in Fulton County Superior Court this week.

What stood out for many about the trial was one of the jurors. He was deaf. Though a deaf juror is not unprecedented, it is rare, according to jury experts and advocates for the hearing impaired, and it was a first for the veteran judge, the attorneys and the other jurors. Two interpreters translated the proceedings into sign language.

… It was particularly special for Davis, 46, who had been summoned for jury duty twice before but never selected. While the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination in the courtroom against people with hearing loss, Davis believed his deafness contributed to his not being chosen as a juror in the past, including once in Minnesota.

“I feel I’m an American citizen and I should be able to be on a jury like everyone else,” said Davis. “I think fair is fair.”

… A 2007 survey of 1,400 state courts by the Center for Jury Studies found 38 percent had sign language interpreters available and 31 percent were outfitted with assisted listening devices. In areas with more than half a million people, like Fulton County, the number that provided interpreters jumped to 88 percent.

But Thomas Galey, executive director of the Georgia Council for the Hearing Impaired, said ignorance of what deaf people can do — anything except hear — continues to hinder them being chosen for juries.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 15th, 2008 at 6:35 am and is filed under ADA, civil rights, criminal justice, deaf/hard of hearing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post