The question has to be asked. A victim of sexual assault would possibly have a lower chance of being an impartial juror which is the most important thing of all.
"Scotty David answered "no," the source said. This meant he didn’t have to answer the subsequent questions, including if he believed that being a victim of sexual assault would affect his "ability to serve fairly and impartially as a juror in this case."
After answering the questionnaires, jurors were questioned individually by U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan and asked to provide details about their background. At this point, the juror again did not disclose his sexual abuse history.
Victims of sexual abuse can serve on a jury, but they must disclose this history on a questionnaire if asked, said attorney Arthur Aidala. By omitting the information, the juror deprived the defense of the opportunity to further probe whether the juror could be fair and impartial and in this case possibly jeopardized Maxwell’s right to a fair trial, he said."
I get the reasoning behind it, but it's unfair towards people who have been sex abuse victims.
The same goal for that line of questioning can be achieved by simply asking the potential juror "Have you ever been a victim of a crime that might affect your ability to serve fairly and impartially as a juror in this case." That gets to the point of the questioning without violating the individuals privacy, and without causing undue distress (due to public disclosure of being a sex abuse victim) on the juror/victim.
The question has to be asked. A victim of sexual assault would possibly have a lower chance of being an impartial juror which is the most important thing of all.
"Scotty David answered "no," the source said. This meant he didn’t have to answer the subsequent questions, including if he believed that being a victim of sexual assault would affect his "ability to serve fairly and impartially as a juror in this case."
After answering the questionnaires, jurors were questioned individually by U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan and asked to provide details about their background. At this point, the juror again did not disclose his sexual abuse history.
Victims of sexual abuse can serve on a jury, but they must disclose this history on a questionnaire if asked, said attorney Arthur Aidala. By omitting the information, the juror deprived the defense of the opportunity to further probe whether the juror could be fair and impartial and in this case possibly jeopardized Maxwell’s right to a fair trial, he said."
https://www.foxnews.com/us/ghislaine-maxwell-juror-did-not-disclose-victim-sexual-abuse-selection-process
I get the reasoning behind it, but it's unfair towards people who have been sex abuse victims.
The same goal for that line of questioning can be achieved by simply asking the potential juror "Have you ever been a victim of a crime that might affect your ability to serve fairly and impartially as a juror in this case." That gets to the point of the questioning without violating the individuals privacy, and without causing undue distress (due to public disclosure of being a sex abuse victim) on the juror/victim.