Scrutinizing Jury Composition: Lessons from Whiteside County
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| Friday, November 6, 2026 |
| 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM |
| Redbird CD |
Overview
James Mertes, Managing Partner, The Mertes Law Firm, P.C.
Details
Presentation will focus on the various processes used in the State of Illinois for assemblage of jury venires. I will discuss the six months of suspension of jury trials in Whiteside County, and three successive discharges of our jury panels, as we attempted to correct unlawful systemic exclusions of
protected classes. I will then discuss the host of state-wide issues and lack of process uniformity and oversight that may reveal ongoing assemblage problems in other counties: a "What to Look For" type of ending.
Speaker
James Mertes
Managing Partner
The Mertes Law Firm, P.C.
Scrutinizing Jury Composition: Lessons from Whiteside County
Biography
James Mertes graduated from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1993. My practice concentration is in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases on behalf of plaintiffs, defense of major criminal cases (i.e., murder and Class X felonies), and constitutional rights issues at the Appellate and Supreme Court levels.
