Resolution

Principle 2

Appreciation for the ABA’s longstanding commitment to Goal III and recognition that the legal profession needs to make more meaningful progress in advancing diversity and inclusion led President Brown to request that the Board of Governors (BOG) create the ABA Diversity & Inclusion 360 Commission (360 Commission). The 360 Commission is charged with taking a comprehensive “360 degrees” look at the state of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and producing sustainable action plans that will significantly move the needle forward.

Consistent with this charge, the 360 Commission analyzed diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, the judicial system, and the American Bar Association with a goal of developing sustainable action plans.

The 360 Commission has four Working Groups: 1) Pipeline Projects, which is working to address the barriers facing diverse students at critical points along the pipeline - K-12, College/Pre-Law, and Law School/Bar Passage as well as exploring other entry points into the profession; 2) Diversity & Inclusion Guidelines and Implementation, which is examining what the ABA can do to lead efforts around diversity and inclusion for itself and local and state bar associations; 3) Economic Case, which is expanding economic opportunities for diverse attorneys by developing model tools for use by corporations and law firms to benchmark diversity, and proposing a policy that urges greater economic opportunities for diverse lawyers. The final 360 Working Group addresses implicit bias. The Implicit Bias Working Group is creating training materials and videos for judges, prosecutors and public defenders to explore what can be done to address inherent bias. It is also advancing this policy resolution to ensure that jurors are aware of and consider their implicit biases before trial proceedings commence.

As part of this effort, the 360 Commission is working to expand the definition of Goal III to encompass the full range of diversity so that it includes not only race, national origin, gender, disability, and sexual orientation but also age, religious belief, income, occupation, marital status, gender identity and gender expression. Thus, the resolution calls for revisions to Jury Principle 2(B) so that eligibility for jury service is not denied or limited on the basis any of the above or any other factor that discriminates against a cognizable group.
The proposed amendment would include the groups "gender identity" ("gender identity" refers to one's innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth. http://www.hrc.org/resources/sexual-orientation-and- gender-identity-terminology-and-definitions); "gender expression" (“gender expression” refers to external appearance of one's gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, haircut or voice, and which may or may not conform to socially defined behaviors and characteristics typically associated with being either masculine or feminine. http://www.hrc.org/resources/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-terminology-and- definitions); and "marital status" ("marital status" refers to a person’s state of being single, married, separated, divorced, or widowed. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com).

Principle 6

According to Professor Jerry Kang, a UCLA Law Professor who specializes in implicit bias training for the legal profession, “implicit bias refers to the attitudes, or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. These biases, which encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control…” (See Jerry Kang, A Primer For State Courts, August 2009).

(Bennett, Mark W., Unraveling the Gordian Knot of Implicit Bias in Jury Selection: The Problem of Judge-Dominated Voir Dire, the Failed Promise of Batson, and Proposed Solutions Harvard Law & Policy Review, Vol. 4, p. 149, 2010). Similarly The California courts use a model jury instructions on bias providing: “Each one of us has biases about or certain perceptions or stereotypes of other people. We may be aware of some of our biases, though we may not share them with others. We may not be fully aware of some of our other biases.” (California Civil Jury Instructions (CACI) 113). Courts should be encouraged to use these type of instructions in all cases.

Respectfully Submitted, Hon. Christopher Whitten

Chair, Commission on the American Jury
Eileen M. Letts David B. Wolfe

Chairs, Diversity & Inclusion 360 Commission August 2016

1. 
   All persons should be eligible for jury service except those who:
   

1. 
   Are less than eighteen years of age; or
   

2. 
   Are not citizens of the United States; or
   

3. 
   Are not residents of the jurisdiction in which they have been summoned to serve; or
   

4. 
   Are not able to communicate in the English language and the court is unable to provide a satisfactory interpreter; or
   

5. 
   Have been convicted of a felony and are in actual confinement or on probation, parole or other court supervision.
   

2. 
   Eligibility for jury service should not be denied or limited on the basis of race, national origin, gender, age, religious belief, income, occupation, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any other factor that discriminates against a cognizable group in the jurisdiction other than those set forth in A. above.
   

PRINCIPLE 6 – COURTS SHOULD EDUCATE JURORS REGARDING THE ESSENTIAL ASPECTS OF A JURY TRIAL

1. 
   Courts should provide orientation and preliminary information to persons called for jury service:
   

1. 
   Upon initial contact prior to service;
   

2. 
   Upon first appearance at the courthouse; and
   

3. 
   Upon reporting to a courtroom for juror voir dire.
   

2. 
   Orientation programs should be:
   

1. 
   Designed to increase jurors’ understanding of the judicial system and prepare them to serve competently as jurors;
   

2. 
   Presented in a uniform and efficient manner using a combination of written, oral and audiovisual materials; and
   

3. 
   Presented, at least in part, by a judge.
   

3. 
   The court should:
   

1. 
   Instruct the jury on implicit bias and how such bias may impact the decision making process without the juror being aware of it; and
   

2. 
   Encourage the jurors to resist making decisions based on personal likes or dislikes or gut feelings that may be based on attitudes toward race, national origin, gender, age, religious belief, income, occupation, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
   

4. 
   Throughout the course of the trial, the court should provide instructions to the jury in plain and understandable language.
   

1. 
   The court should give preliminary instructions directly following empanelment of the jury that explain the jury’s role, the trial procedures including note-taking and questioning by jurors, the nature of evidence and its evaluation, the issues to be addressed, and the basic relevant legal principles, including the elements of the charges and claims and definitions of unfamiliar legal terms.
   

2. 
   The court should advise jurors that once they have been selected to serve as jurors or alternates in a trial, they must consider only the applicable law and evidence presented in court, and must refrain from communicating about the case with anyone outside the jury room until the trial is over and the jury has reached a verdict. This instruction should explain that the ban on outside communication is broad, encompassing not only oral discussions in person or by phone, but also communications through e-mails, texts, Internet postings, blog postings, social media websites like Facebook or Twitter, and any other method for sharing information about the case with another person or gathering information about the case from another person. At the time of such instructions in civil cases, the court may inform the jurors about the permissibility of discussing the evidence among themselves as contemplated in Standard 13 F. The court should also instruct jurors that they do not themselves investigate the facts of the case, the law governing the case, or the parties, lawyers, or judges in the case. The court should explain that a juror’s duties to avoid communicating about the case outside the jury room and to refrain from independent investigations about the case are extremely important, and that the court has the authority to impose serious punishment upon jurors who violate those duties.
   

3. 
   The court should give such instructions during the course of the trial
   

4. 
   Prior to deliberations, the court should give such instructions as are described in Standard 14 regarding the applicable law and the conduct of deliberations.
   

Submitting Entities: Commission on the American Jury and Diversity & Inclusion 360 Commission

Eileen M. Letts and David B. Wolfe, Co-Chairs, Diversity & Inclusion 360 Commission

1. 
   Summary of Resolution(s).
   

Principles 2(B) and 6(C).

2. 
   Approval by Submitting Entity. The change to the Principles was approved by an email vote of the members of both the 360 Commission and the Commission on the American Jury.
   

3. 
   Has this or a similar resolution been submitted to the House or Board previously? No
   

4. 
   What existing Association policies are relevant to this Resolution and how would they be affected by its adoption? The Resolution asks the House of Delegates to amend the ABA Principles for Juries and Jury Trials adopted previously by the House of Delegates at the ABA Midyear Meeting in 2005 and amended by the House of Delegates at the ABA Midyear Meeting in 2013.
   

5. 
   If this is a late report, what urgency exists which requires action at this meeting of the House? Not applicable.
   

6. 
   Status of Legislation. (If applicable) N/A.
   

7. 
   Brief explanation regarding plans for implementation of the policy, if adopted by the House of Delegates.
   

8. 
   Cost to the Association. (Both direct and indirect costs) N/A
   

9. 
   Disclosure of Interest. (If applicable) N/A
   

10. 
    Referrals.
    

Section of Criminal Justice Section of Litigation

Section of Tort Trial and Insurance Practice

Other Sections and Divisions: Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Antitrust Law

Business Law

Civil Rights and Social Justice

Dispute Resolution

Environment, Energy and Resources Family Law

Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division Health Law

Intellectual Property Law International Law

Labor and Employment Law Law Practice Management Law Student Division Section of Litigation

Public Contract Law

Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Law Real Property, Trust and Estate Law

Science and Technology Law Senior Lawyers Division

Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division State and Local Government Law

Taxation

Tort Trial Insurance Practice Section Young Lawyers Division

Affordable Housing and Community Development Law Air and Space Law

Communication Law

11. 
    Contact Name and Address Information. (Prior to the meeting. Please include name, address, telephone number and e-mail address)
    

Eileen M. Letts

55 West Monroe St., Suite 600

Chicago, IL 60603

(312) 346-1100

emletts@greeneandletts.com

293 Eisenhower Pkwy Livingston, New Jersey 07039 (973) 992-0900

dwolfe@skoloffwolfe.com
Judge Christopher Whitten 125 W Washington St.

Phoenix, AZ 85003

(602) 372-1164

whitten@superiorcourt.maricopa.gov

12. 
    Contact Name and Address Information. (Who will present the report to the House? Please include name, address, telephone number, cell phone number and e-mail address.)
    

Eileen M. Letts

55 West Monroe St., Suite 600

Chicago, IL 60603

(312) 346-1100

emletts@greeneandletts.com

293 Eisenhower Pkwy Livingston, New Jersey 07039 (973) 992-0900

dwolfe@skoloffwolfe.com
Judge Christopher Whitten 125 W Washington St.

Phoenix, AZ 85003

(602) 372-1164

whitten@superiorcourt.maricopa.gov

1. 
   Summary of the Resolution
   

2. 
   Summary of the Issue that the Resolution Addresses
   
   1. 
      The exclusion of potential jurors based on marital status, gender identity and gender expression. 2. The impact of implicit bias on the decision making process.
      

3. 
   Please Explain How the Proposed Policy Position will address the issue
   

4. 
   Summary of Minority Views None are known.