The jury room at the Multnomah County Courthouse in downtown Portland, photographed on Jan. 25, 2021.
Courtney Sherwood / OPB
Recent graduates from Willamette University College of Law formed a racial justice task force to examine a tool attorneys use during jury selection. A peremptory challenge can be used by lawyers to remove jurors without having to state a reason. Oregon’s policy around this legal tool needs to be changed or dropped completely, according to the task force’s report. We hear from Willamette graduates and racial justice task force co-chairs Sam Klausen and Eden Vasquez.
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