Oct. 4, Anna Offit, jury specialist and law professor at SMU Dedman School of Law, for a piece that examined the Amber Guyger panel and advocated for changes in the jury system. Published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: https://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/other-voices/article235803877.html
At a time when revelations of race-based exclusion have threatened to undermine the legitimacy of the American jury system, Amber Guyger’s trial reminds us of the power and potential of this institution.
The jury in Guyger’s prosecution reflected the diversity of the population of Dallas County, and it produced results: a murder conviction and a 10-year sentence for Guyger, a former Dallas police officer who shot dead her unarmed neighbor as he ate ice cream on his couch a year ago. She testified that she mistakenly entered his apartment and mistook him for a burglar.
This outcome was accomplished after an onerous trial that required separation from jurors’ families, attention to wrenching and traumatic video evidence of Botham Jean’s murder, and despite numerous obstacles to participation. . .