Jury Rigged

Something new for the jury manipulation file: An appeals court in New Jersey has ruled that prosecutors can bar overtly religious people from juries.

The AP reports:

The prosecutor … bounced a white man who said he was a missionary and a black man wearing a long black garment and a skull cap. Neither potential juror was asked about his religious beliefs, but the prosecutor later said the black man was "obviously a Muslim."

After the defense objected, the prosecutor told the trial judge that "people who tend to be demonstrative about their religions tend to favor defendants to a greater extent than do persons who are, shall we say, not as religious."