January 3, 2017
Judge Tom
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Judge Tom

It is not “illegal” to have an all-white, all-black, all-Asian, etc. jury if that’s the result of the empanelment process. What is illegal is intentionally excluding prospective jury members due to race, religion, ethnicity, etc. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on this issue in Batson v. Kentucky in 1986. Take a look at the article below for a recent review of the process, and continuing issues related to jury selection.
http://www.npr.org/2015/11/02/452898470/supreme-court-takes-on-racial-discrimination-in-jury-selection
As far as a change of venue (location) for a jury trial, the specific facts of the case must be considered. We can’t answer your question without the full details, not to mention we wouldn’t comment on this legal matter, since we don’t provide legal advice.
(This is information only – not legal advice).

Judge Tom

The Author Judge Tom

Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing) and 'Every Vote Matters: the Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court' (Free Spirit Publishing). In 2020, the American Bar Association published "Cyberbullying Law," the nation's first case-law book written for lawyers, judges and law students. When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom volunteers with the American Red Cross and can be found hiking, traveling and reading.