The Prosecutor vs. the All-Male Jury
King County Prosecuting Attorney John R. Bradshaw demands the inclusion of women on jury lists, citing Washington Territory’s progressive suffrage laws.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
John R. Bradshaw, Prosecuting Attorney, wrote to the Board of Commissioners regarding the all-male jury lists. He noted that Section 2078 of the code states: 'All qualified electors shall be competent to serve as petit jurors, and all qualified electors and householders shall be competent to serve as grand jurors.' He argued that since many women are legal voters and householders, a failure to include them constitutes a 'packing of the juries' and a potential legal fraud. He urged the Board to rescind their previous action that left off all women from the jury lists, warning that such failures could cause criminal indictments to be set aside by the Supreme Court.
“A selection that is manifestly unfair and partial is a 'packing of the juries,' and a consequent fraud upon the public.”
This struggle highlights the precarious nature of women's suffrage in the late 19th-century West, where rights granted by the territory were constantly under threat of legal challenge. It underscores the vital role of public officials who insisted that the law be interpreted to include, rather than exclude, those who had earned the franchise.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.