Commonwealth of Kentucky v. James Doss

Summary

The court certified that a trial judge may not dismiss a randomly selected jury panel merely because its racial composition appears unrepresentative when the panel was drawn under properly followed procedures and no evidence shows that the underlying jury pool failed to reflect a fair cross section of the community. The court also held that a trial judge may not impose a blanket prohibition on questioning prospective jurors about statements made during an earlier voir dire, although reasonable limits may be imposed to prevent prejudice or undue delay. The court did not address whether dismissal violated the rights of the individual jurors, and the acquittal prevented any retrial.