Six women were selected to comprise the jury in the second-degree murder trial of the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin during a confrontation in a gated community in Sanford last February. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge, claiming self-defense.
For many years, the Constitution was interpreted as guaranteeing a trial by a 12-member jury. However, in Williams v. Florida, a Supreme Court ruling in 1970, it was decided that at least six persons is "large enough to promote group deliberation, free from outside intimidation, and to provide a fair possibility for obtaining a cross-section of the community."
It was also noted in the ruling that there is "no discernible difference between the results reached by the two different-sized juries." However, in Ballew v. Georgia, the Supreme Court ruled in 1978 that reducing the number of jurors below six created a "substantial threat" to the sixth amendment.
Zimmerman's trial follows Florida statute 913.10 which says "twelve persons shall constitute a jury to try all capital cases, and six persons shall constitute a jury to try all other criminal cases."
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