Affluent residents more likely than minorities to show up for jury duty

Andrew Tilghman of the Houston Chronicle analyzed local court data to show that “residents of Harris County’s predominantly white, affluent neighborhoods are up to seven times more likely to show up for jury duty than those in the county’s lower-income, mostly minority neighborhoods.” The paper used the area’s more than 140 ZIP codes to divide up juror pools, finding that “the 10 ZIP codes with the lowest turnout, all below 10 percent, have populations that are predominantly Hispanic or black. Those areas had a median income of $29,636.”