Federal judges meet with religious and community leaders, encourage greater participation in jury duty
By Natasha Dado
Friday, 07.05.2013, 12:11am - Arab American News
DETROIT
— Inside Chief Federal Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan
Gerald Rosen’s chambers, sits a copy of the Quran, alongside the Old
Jewish Testament. Both books are laid flat open to sections that discuss
justice and the courts.
The
Quran was given to Rosen last April by Imam Mohammad Mardini of the
American Muslim Center in Dearborn, who was one of several religious
leaders from the American Muslim community to visit the Theodore Levin
Courthouse in Detroit and meet with Rosen and about 10 other federal
judges to discuss the importance of jury service.
Local Muslim clerics stand with Chief Judge Gerald Rosen, other federal judges, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Barbara McQuade
and Arab American community leaders at the
Theodore Levin Courthouse in Detroit."They
gave me a copy, so I put it right here with a copy of the Old
Testament. I have the Jewish Old Testament and the Quran," Rosen said.
Jury
diversity has become an issue, as more people complain about being
deprived of fair trials when juries aren’t reflective of a defendant’s
background. Doubts have been raised about whether a black defendant can
have a fair trial in a Detroit federal courthouse with an all white
jury, or if the negative portrayals of Arabs and Muslims in the media
could influence a jury’s verdict in a case involving an Arab or Muslim
defendant.
Judicial
experts who have weighed in on the topic say that it is still possible
for a defendant to have a fair trial, even when the jury isn’t
reflective of the defendant’s background, because jurors are directed to
follow instructions and the law.
"I
had a reason for wanting them to come. We are trying to do outreach to
all of the minority communities, and I think it’s important for our
court to engage the community on a number of different levels…A very big
problem in minority communities, including the Middle Eastern
community, is not responding to our jury summons," Rosen said.
Diverse
juries can offer different perspectives when reviewing a case, and
increase understanding about the statements and actions of defendants
and witnesses, leading to a more just verdict.
The
discussion among religious leaders and judges was centered on how
courts select juries, the importance of jury diversity, and the role
that religious leaders can play in the community to encourage more
people to serve.
Rosen
said that every Imam who was present pledged that they would try and
get more people from the community to become active in jury duty.
Imam
Mohammed Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights said
that, since the meeting, he has addressed the issue of jury diversity
during Friday services.
"Where
there are rights, there are responsibilities. We cannot just talk
about our rights. Fulfilling our civil duties as citizens is important,"
Elahi said.
The
meeting came on the heels of two other forums that were organized to
encourage more minorities to respond to jury summons and actually
participate in the process. One of the forums, which was aimed at
reaching out to the African American community, took place at Wayne
County Community College District July of last year.
Another,
which was focused on outreach to the Arab American community, was held
at the Lebanese American Heritage Club (LAHC) in February this year.
"The meeting at the courthouse was a follow up on the forum which took
place at the Lebanese American Heritage Club," said Abed Hammoud,
Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, who also
served as the moderator for the panel discussion on jury diversity at
the LAHC.
Hammoud,
Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, Rosen and other
courthouse officials helped organize the meeting between the judges and
religious leaders.
A forum focusing on helping get the Hispanic community to participate more in jury duty is being organized.
"One
of my priorities as Chief Judge was to encourage my colleagues to get
out into the different communities; understanding that there is much we
can’t talk about, but also understanding that the more the community
understands what we do, the more they will understand the role of the
federal judiciary," he said.
Rosen
shared a story with the Imams about a Muslim juror who once said that
she couldn’t serve because it was a violation of her religion to
participate in jury duty.
"When
I told the Imams this story, they said ‘Oh that’s not true. That’s
absolutely not true. She’s just making excuses,’" Rosen said. "It’s so
important that our juries represent a cross section of our community."
For
years Rosen has maintained a positive relationship with the Arab
American community, and continues to make efforts to further understand
it.
"It’s
a fascinating community. It is so diverse within itself. One of the
best things about this area is the ethnic diversity and all that it
brings," Rosen said.
Many
view the opportunity to serve on juries as a constitutional privilege,
because they have the opportunity to administer justice. Jury duty is
one of the most basic concrete forms of self government.
Rosen
says people who have served on juries tell him afterwards that although
they initially didn’t want to participate, it turned out to be a
rewarding experience.
"I
think this was a great initiative," Elahi said. "We need to have more
of these meetings, because they are educational to both our community
and public officials."
