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Voir Dire
Would You Survive
Jury Selection
in Mississippi?
In most states including Mississippi, prosecutors can remove potential jurors using peremptory strikes. A Mississippi Today investigation looked at the reasons prosecutors have given for striking Black jurors in more than 50 cases appealed between 2015 and 2025.
In 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Batson v. Kentucky that peremptory strikes cannot be used to remove jurors on the basis of race. Mississippi Today’s analysis of court records found that the state Supreme Court has not once ruled in favor of protecting a struck Black juror since 2015, while affirming protections for white jurors in at least four cases.
Take a seat. The prosecutor has some questions for you.
What county do you live in?
Some questions the prosecutor asks will reference your county.
You’ve been removed from the jury pool.
Between 2015 and 2025, the Mississippi Supreme Court considered at least 18 Batson claims. It ruled in favor of protecting a struck Black juror zero times.
In the same period, the court affirmed protections for struck white jurors in at least four cases.
You made it onto the jury.
During our investigation, Mississippi Today looked at the reasons prosecutors have given for striking Black jurors in more than 50 cases appealed between 2015 and 2025 — from their education level to their job history, their experiences with law enforcement, thoughts on the death penalty, having a family member in prison or simply giving the prosecutor a “bad vibe.”
Between 2015 and 2025, the Mississippi Supreme Court considered at least 18 Batson claims. It ruled in favor of protecting a struck Black juror zero times. In the same period, the court affirmed protections for struck white jurors in at least four cases.
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