Carter v. Jury Commission
United States Supreme Court
396 U.S. 320 (1970)
Black citizens of a majority-Black Alabama county (plaintiffs) sued the state jury commission and administrators (defendants), showing that despite Black residents making up roughly 75% of the county's population, they represented only about 7% of the actual jury rolls, due to white administrators with limited contact with the Black community failing to use any meaningful procedure to identify qualified Black jurors, a problem that persisted even after an earlier court order requiring statutory compliance. The district court found intentional racial discrimination, enjoined further discrimination, and ordered an updated jury roll, but declined to enjoin the underlying (facially race-neutral) jury-selection statute itself; the plaintiffs appealed directly to the Supreme Court.
Whether federal courts may grant injunctive relief remedying racial discrimination in the administration of a jury-selection process without enjoining an otherwise facially valid state jury-selection statute.