Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price uncovered prior discretions within the DA's office, including a cover-up of discriminatory practices targeting Jewish and Black citizens during jury selections in death penalty cases. The evidence points to former senior prosecutor Morris Jacobson, now a judge, as a significant figure in these cover-up efforts.
The revelations unfolded during a press conference, during which DA Price revealed a former employee's note, which appeared to quickly shed light on strategies used to deflect attention from claims of prosecutorial misconduct. As noted in the initial press release, the document indicates that Jacobson wanted "to find dirt" on whistleblower Jack Quatman, potentially disqualifying his allegations and protecting the office's image.
Quatman, a former capital trial prosecutor, had previously signed a declaration admitting that he and his colleagues had a routine of striking Black women and Jewish jurors in death penalty cases, a clear act of discrimination. Following an order from US District Court Judge Vince Chhabria, DA Price's office undertook a review of jury selection files, which should have been disclosed to the court but weren't due to the cover-up efforts.
Further delving into the misconduct, Judge Chhabria found strong evidence of systemic discrimination in past jury selection processes by the DA's office earlier this year. The note presented by DA Price, dated back to 2004, provided a more transparent view into the mechanics of the alleged cover-up, specifically targeting Quatman's character instead of addressing the heart of the issue thoroughly.
"The note from this meeting in 2004 gives insight into why prosecutors' notes containing evidence of discrimination against potential Jewish and Black jurors may not have been subjected to a comprehensive review and were not disclosed to the Court in most of the cases until my office was ordered by Honorable Judge Vince Chhabria to review death penalty cases," stated DA Price in the release.
