Keep the Grand Jury Diverse

Historically, the makeup of the Orange County Grand Jury has looked more like a private club roster than the watchdog public panel it is. Its members usually have been white, affluent, retired men. The women were most often homemakers. Missing were minorities, younger people and people from the professions.

That profile changed radically this year when the current 19-member grand jury was seated in June. It is the most diverse panel in the county’s history with more than 40% of its makeup from minority communities. It has the first African American jury foreman in county history, two Asian Americans, two Native Americans and three Latinos. That’s a dramatic shift from last year’s panel, which was 100% white.

The change didn’t just happen by chance. It was the result of a concerted effort by Superior Court Judge C. Robert Jameson, who previously termed the lack of Latinos on the jury “unconscionable.” He and other judges went out to recruit potential jurors. His dedication to broadening representation on the grand jury attracted a pool of 20% minority applicants. From this group, the final panel of 19 members, eight of whom are minorities, was randomly selected.

Having a diverse panel that better reflects the makeup of the county it serves does make a difference. It brings in a broader background of experience and makes possible a wider range of viewpoints.

That was evident immediately in some of the studies the 2000-01 jury considered as part of its responsibility to monitor the efficiency and honesty of local government. Subjects included police profiling (whether police stop motorists because of their ethnic background), whether Vietnamese communities are receiving adequate social services and the high number of Latino, black and Asian youths in the criminal justice system.

The current panel is halfway through its work, but it is time to start the selection process for the new jury. The deadline for applying (call [714] 834-6747) is Jan. 31. The court should continue to be aggressive in its recruitment, and the community should respond by serving.

That way, diversity will not be a hit-or-miss proposition, in which some panels are representative and others, like last year’s, have no mix at all.