African-Americans are frequently and, at times it seems, illegally excluded from criminal jury service. According to a study by the Equal Justice Initiative, “During two years of research in eight Southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee), EJI interviewed over 100 African-American citizens who were excluded from jury service based on race and reviewed hundreds of court documents and records.”
According to Northwestern University law professor Robert Burns, only 3 to 5 percent of criminal cases go to trial – the rest are plea bargained. The American Bar Association says that most African-American defendants never get a trial and many plead guilty even when innocent.

