The following excerpt is from U.S. v. Brown, 644 F.2d 101 (2nd Cir. 1981):
In Mikus v. United States, 433 F.2d 719 (1970), this court declined to find that certain occupations or relationships per se constituted grounds for a prospective juror's dismissal. Specifically, the court found that in a bank robbery case the wife of a bank board chairman, a former local police officer and the wife of a state police officer (who would hear testimony from other state troopers) should not be dismissed from the jury for cause. The court chose not "to create a set of unreasonably constricting presumptions that jurors be excused for
Page 105
On these bases we choose not to follow United States v. Allsup, supra. Consistent with our decision in Mikus v. United States, supra, we do not wish to institute a series of presumptions of implied bias in other employment or familial relationships which might affect a juror's impartiality. To do so would burden the courts needlessly with a responsibility of endless speculation on the presumptive bias of potential jurors.
The above passage should not be considered legal advice. Reliable answers to complex legal questions require comprehensive research memos. To learn more visit www.alexi.com.