- Swain v. Alabama
Infobox SCOTUS case
Litigants = Swain v. Alabama
ArgueDate = December 8
ArgueYear = 1964
DecideDate = March 8
DecideYear = 1965
FullName = Robert Swain v. Alabama
USVol = 380
USPage = 202
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Holding = The overall percentage disparity has been small and reflects no studied attempt to include or exclude a specified number of blacks.
SCOTUS = 1962-1965
Majority = White
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Overruled = "Batson v. Kentucky ", ussc|476|79|1986"Swain v. Alabama", 380 U.S. 202 (
1965 ), was a case heard before theSupreme Court of the United States regarding the legality of astruck jury .Swain, a black man, was indicted and convicted of
sexual assault in the Circuit Court ofTalladega County, Alabama , and sentenced to death. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court on the grounds that there were no black jurors. Of eligible jurors in the county, 26% were black, but panels since 1953 averaged 10% to 15% black jurors.The Supreme Court denied the appeal, because 8 of 100 empaneled jurors were black, but all were "struck" by
peremptory challenge s by the prosecution. The ruling for the majority stated, "The overall percentage disparity has been small and reflects no studied attempt to include or exclude a specified number of blacks."This case recognized the preemptory challenge as a valid legal practice so long as it was not used intentionally to exclude blacks from jury duties.
The precedent was overturned in "
Batson v. Kentucky ", ussc|476|79|1986.ee also
*
List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 380 Further reading
* cite journal | last = Sommers | first = Samuel R. | authorlink = | coauthors = Norton, Michael I. | year = 2007 | month = | title = Race-Based Judgments, Race-Neutral Justifications: Experimental Examination of Peremptory Use and the "Batson" Challenge Procedure | journal = Law and Human Behavior | volume = 31 | issue = 3 | pages = 261–273 | doi = 10.1007/s10979-006-9048-6 | url = | accessdate = | quote =
External links
*" [http://www.vlex.us/caselaw/U-S-Supreme-Court/Swain-v-Alabama-380-U-S-202-1965/2100-19993334%2C01.html Swain v. Alabama] ", 380 U.S. 202 (1965)
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