Published on: Thursday, April 13, 2023
Virginia couple facing trial for drug-related crimes in the fall of 2021 were not vaccinated against COVID-19 due to their sincerely held beliefs. The district court, over the defense's objection, struck all unvaccinated prospective jurors. Did that violate the Sixth Amendment's requirement that a jury be composed of a fair cross section of the community? Fourth Circuit: No. No, it did not.
The cases are U.S. v. Jose Cruz Colon, No. 22-4187, and U.S. v. Nastassja Lopez-Alvarado, No. 22-4192 (4th Cir. Apr. 11, 2023).