United States v. Salamone
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
800 F.2d 1216 (1986)
Salamone (defendant) was tried on firearms charges, and during voir dire the district court excused one potential juror and five potential alternates for cause based solely on their membership in the National Rifle Association, without asking any of them whether that affiliation would affect their ability to be impartial. Salamone was convicted and appealed, challenging the exclusion of these jurors purely because of their organizational membership.
Whether a trial court may exclude potential jurors for cause based solely on their membership in an organization associated with a particular viewpoint, without any specific inquiry into whether that membership actually impairs their impartiality.