Foreman Is 1st Black to Lead O.C. Grand Jury

For the first time in county history, an African American has been selected to head the Orange County Grand Jury.

Joseph Gatlin, 67, a longtime Santa Ana resident, will be foreman of the most racially diverse grand jury in years. The 19-member jury, which will be impaneled in July, is about 40% minority, and includes three Latinos and two Asians.

Gatlin’s selection and the jury’s diversity have drawn praise from community groups who criticized the lack of diversity of this year’s all-white jury. Superior Court Presiding Judge Robert Jameson, who was part of the selection team, said it was important to impanel a grand jury representative of the county’s increasingly diverse population.

Jameson cited as key qualifications Gatlin’s leadership credentials and experience on other grand juries, including a federal grand jury in Los Angeles County.

Gatlin is not the first member of a minority to lead a grand jury: At least two Latinos have served in past years, according to court officials.

A retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, Gatlin is a veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam wars. He has served as president of the Orange County Black Republican Council, the Orange County Community AIDS Program, and the Orange County Sickle Cell Program.