Full Text
Case 1:20-cv-03858-AP Document 1859 Filed 03/24/21 Page 4 of 20
Plan"), https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/juryplan_feb_2009.pdf.
The Jury Plan operates as follows. Every four years, following the date of the Presidential Election, two master jury wheels are constructed: one for Manhattan and one for White Plains. See id. These master wheels, in turn, are filled with names that are randomly drawn from voter registration lists of the various counties that make up the District. Id. The Jury Plan provides that "the number of names drawn from each county should be proportionate to the number of registered voters in that county." Allen, 2021 WL 431458, *1.
The two master wheels draw from a different array of counties. The Manhattan master wheel randomly draws names from New York, Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland, while the White Plains master wheel draws names from Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Sullivan and Dutchess. See Allen, 2021 WL 431458, *1. Because Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland counties are included in both master wheels, the Jury Plan instructs that the names from these counties be "apportioned among the two master wheels to 'reasonably reflect the relative number of registered voters of each county." See id.
"Periodically, names are drawn from the master wheels 'in an amount sufficient to meet the anticipated demands for jurors for the next six months.'" Id. (quoting Jury Plan). Those who are drawn from the master wheels are sent jury questionnaires,1 which determine whether a person is qualified to serve on a jury. Id. Jurors who meet the qualification requirements are then placed in the respective qualified wheels for Manhattan and White Plains. Id. Finally, as
1 The Jury Plan bases its qualification criteria on neutral standards such as the ability to speak English, citizenship and age, mental capacity, and criminal record. (See Gov't Opp. Br. at 5.) Moreover, certain individuals are exempted from jury service by virtue of their professional occupations. (See id.) Finally, the Jury Plan also provides a carve-out for individuals who can demonstrate "undue hardship or extreme inconvenience" on a case-by-case basis. (See id.)