Professor Shestowsky Comments on Female Jurors for National Law Journal
Professor Donna Shestowsky commented on the ways female jurors tend to influence the trial process for an article in The National Law Review examining the impacts of the increasing numbers of women in the jury room. Professor Shestowsky noted that research suggests that, compared to male jurors, female jurors tend to be harsher on defendants in cases involving violent crimes against women and tend to hold different views as to what constitutes sexual harassment. She cautioned against the idea of basing courtroom strategies on intuitions or stereotypes rather than on reliable empirical research.
"Case-specific attitudes are the best predictor of thinking on a case, and gender has seldom proven to be a reliable predictor of general attitudes, notwithstanding what lawyers might think," Professor Shestowsky said. "They are better off basing voir dire decisions on answers to questions about case-relevant attitudes."
Donna Shestowsky is an Acting Professor of Law at the UC Davis School of Law, where she teaches Criminal Law, Negotiation Strategy, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and a seminar in Legal Psychology. She was the 2007 recipient of the Law School's Distinguished Teaching Award.