In this case, the Supreme Court held that states could not systematically exclude women from juries. The constitutional issue in the case was not the right of individual women to serve as jurors, but the right of accused persons to be tried by a jury made up of a “representative cross section of the community.”. Finally, the “distinctive” roles that women played in society was a “rational” reason for the state’s jury system, but individual exemptions from jury duty could always be made.

73-5744.

CHANGE OF ISSUE The issue before the court was not anymore whether Taylor actually kidnapped anyone, but whether he had a fair trial.

Prior to this case, the application of jury trials in criminal cases differed across states.

Duncan v. Louisiana incorporated the right to a trial by jury under the Sixth Amendment, guaranteeing it as a fundamental right. Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness Digital Textbook. Taylor v. Louisiana, 419 U.S. 522 (1975) Taylor v. Louisiana. In this case, the Supreme Court held that states could not systematically exclude women from juries. The constitutional issue in the case was not the right of individual women to serve as jurors, but the right of accused persons to be tried by a jury made up of a “representative cross section of the community.” The issue before the court was not whether Taylor actually kidnapped anyone, but whether he had a fair trial because Louisiana law had a "conceded systematic impact" to eliminate female jurors from his jury: Impact St. Tammany Parish, LS The Case Fighting for a Fair Trial Bill J. Taylor challenged the Louisiana State Supreme Court Went to the Supreme Court: Including: Harry Blackmun, Lewis Powell Jr., William Douglas, William Brennan Jr. Potter ... "But the exclusion from jury service of a substantial and identifiable class of citizens has a potential impact that is too subtle and too pervasive to admit of confinement to particular issues or … The Sixth Amendment protects the right of criminal defendants to a trial “by an impartial jury.” Taylor argued that by systematically excluding women from jury pools, Louisiana had deprived him of that Sixth Amendment right (applied to the states by the Fourteenth Amendment). His case eventually went to the US Supreme Court.

The Court cited that fact that fifty-three percent of the population eligible for jury duty was female.

It was invalid for Louisiana to suggest that “it would be a special hardship for each and every woman to perform jury service or that society cannot spare any women from their present duties.”, https://billofrightsinstitute.org/elessons/taylor-v-louisiana-1975/, 1310 North Courthouse Rd. The state of Louisiana argued that Taylor did not have grounds to object to his male-only jury since he was a male.

In commemoration of Women’s History Month, this Landmark Supreme Court Cases and the Constitution eLesson focuses on the landmark case of Taylor v. Louisiana(1975).

He challenged his conviction because there were no women on his jury. In commemoration of Women’s History Month, this Landmark Supreme Court Cases and the Constitution eLesson focuses on the landmark case of Taylor v. Louisiana(1975).

Yet, the Court observed, only “only a very few women, grossly disproportionate to the number of eligible women in the community, [were] called for jury service.” The Court concluded that excluding women from juries deprived defendants of the “commonsense judgment of the community” that juries were designed to impart. Every Bundle includes the complete text from each of the titles below: PLUS: Hundreds of law school topic-related videos from Further, women served special roles in society that would be particularly disrupted by jury duty.

Louisiana law had a "conceded systematic impact" to eliminate female jurors from jury duty.

The Supreme Court agreed with Taylor and ordered Louisiana to re-try him. In this case, the Supreme Court held that states could not systematically exclude women from juries. It was the 1970s, and under the state’s constitution, women were never called for jury duty unless they had written a letter to the state asking to be considered for service. Audio Transcription for Oral Argument - October 16, 1974 in Taylor v. Louisiana Audio Transcription for Opinion Announcement - January 21, 1975 in Taylor v. Louisiana Warren E. Burger: The judgment and opinion of the Court in 73-5744, Taylor against Louisiana … The constitutional issue in the case was not the right of individual women to serve as jurors, but the right of accused persons to be tried by a jury made up of a “representative cross section of the community.” Impact . The Court ruled, “The selection of a…jury from a representative cross section of the community is an essential component of the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial.”. He did not argue that his particular jury had been biased or prejudiced against him. In commemoration of Women’s History Month, this Landmark Supreme Court Cases and the Constitution eLesson focuses on the landmark case of Taylor v. Louisiana (1975).

This was why they were excluded unless they volunteered.

Argued October 16, 1974. No. Facts. For a women to be eligible for jury duty, it required “[Without] any suggestion that [Taylor’s] trial was unfairly conducted, or that its result was unreliable, I would not require Louisiana to retry him…” How would you respond to Justice Rehnquist’s argument. #620 Arlington, VA 22201, New! The Court also overturned Louisiana’s jury selection system as an unconstitutional violation of the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments.

Louisiana resident Billy Taylor was found guilty of kidnapping.

Where Sex Discrimination Overruled! Dissenting, Associate Justice Rehnquist argued that Louisiana’s jury system was certainly outdated, but not unconstitutional. Taylor v. Louisiana Case Brief - Rule of Law: Jury pools, from which juries are selected, should represent an accurate cross-section of the community.