Prosecutor's Comments About Potential Jurors' Racial Bias Violated Due Process Rights, Appellate Court Rules
“Just as racial bias odiously infects a jury’s deliberations, it can have a deleterious impact on the decision-making of a defendant weighing the merits of a plea offer,” Judge Rebecca Pennell wrote. “The abrupt injection of racial bias into one’s decision-making process can engender feelings of inferiority, distrust, helplessness, and self-doubt.”