March 7, 2017 - NHLA Applauds SCOTUS Decision on Racial Bias

NHLA APPLAUDS SUPREME COURT DECISION ON RACIAL BIAS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a coalition of 40 of the nation’s preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, applauds the Supreme Court of the United States for its recent historic decision regarding racial bias in jury rooms. In a 5-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled for the first time that the presence of racist comments by jurors can warrant a new trial, removing the original verdict. In this particular case, two jurors reported that the Hispanic ethnicity of the defendant and alibi witness was used as a point against their credibility during the deliberations. The Court's decision to permit disclosure of private jury deliberations indicates both the severity of the matter and sends a clear message that racial bias has no place in judicial proceedings.

Latinos are disproportionately and adversely affected by discriminatory policing and criminal justice practices. Racial profiling based on group stereotypes is unconstitutional and decisions such as this one are critical in progressing toward a fairer criminal justice system. The presence of racial bias in the criminal justice system is detrimental to Latino families, communities of color, and our country and this Supreme Court decision sets a crucial precedent for continued reform.

“This Supreme Court decision acknowledges the fact that racial bias serves as a threat to fair trials and must not be tolerated. We must root out discrimination in all systems in our nation, including in the Courts. This decision from the highest Court in our nation marks progress toward ensuring fair criminal justice practices,” said Hector Sanchez Barba, Chair of NHLA and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.

“Racial discrimination plays a pernicious role in our criminal justice system – a role that Latino defendants and victims of crime know only too well. Faced with an evidence rule in Colorado that bars inquiries into jury deliberations, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that the constitutional right to a fair jury trial supersedes these procedural hurdles,” said Juan Cartagena, Chair of NHLA’s Criminal Justice Working Group and President and General Counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “Racial bias has no place in the jury room nor anywhere during the engagement points of stops, arrests, charges, bail, conviction and sentencing decisions that Latinas and Latinos are subjected to every day in America. Today’s decision is a step in the ameliorating the worse aspects of bias and stereotypes that would have deprived persons of liberty if kept unchecked.”

“We are very pleased that the Court recognized the need to continue to take steps to eradicate racial bias from the criminal justice system—a goal that is now as important as ever,” said NHLA Member Pedro Torres-Diaz and President of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA).

“We are pleased to hear about this recent Supreme Court decision,” said Patricia Tototzintle, Co-chair of NHLA’s Latina Task force and CEO of Casa de Esperanza. “Requiring the courts to address instances of racial bias in the jury room is critical to improving the criminal justice system and upholding key principles of fairness and access to justice for all parties, regardless of race, ethnicity, or immigration status.”

"We welcome the Supreme Court's ruling because it implicitly recognizes the bias that has led to a disproportionately high incarceration of minorities in this country. And while that bias has been widely protested and started to be constructively addressed in law enforcement circles, this ruling is the greatest step taken in the 21st Century toward addressing the jury component of that bias that everyone knew was there but nobody could do anything about. The two jurors who stepped forward to reveal what had happened in the Jury Room will always be remembered as heroes. We hope their bravery and the Supreme Court's backing advance the cause of achieving a truly blind justice system," said Kenneth Romero-Cruz, Co-Chair of NHLA's Government Accountability Committee and Executive Director of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.

"To that end, we urge Members of Congress of both parties to continue bipartisan negotiations to produce legislation that can root out the evil of racial discrimination in our criminal justice system. Equal justice under the law should mean more than words inscribed in a courthouse building; it should be the bedrock principle our judicial system never strays from," Romero added.

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ABOUT THE NATIONAL HISPANIC LEADERSHIP AGENDA

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda is composed of 40 of the leading national and regional Latino civil rights and public policy organizations and other elected officials, and prominent Latinos Americans. NHLA coalition members represent the diversity of the Latino community – Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Latino Americans. NHLA’s mission calls for unity among Latinos around the country to provide the Latino community with greater visibility and a clearer, stronger influence in our country’s affairs. NHLA brings together Latino leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit: www.nationalhispanicleadership.org.
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