Ending sex discrimination in jury selection was among the goals of the National Organization for Women in the 1960s.
Task Force Goals
In 1966, the newly formed feminist organization created seven initial task forces to work on women's issues. The NOW Task Force on Legal and Political Rights outlined its goals in a 1967 statement. The task force called for support of federal civil rights legislation that would prohibit "any distinction based on sex" in jury selection, for both federal and state juries.
A Lack of Female Jurors
Ending sex discrimination in jury selection took a few more years. Some states had begun allowing women jurors when women won the right to vote in 1920. Some states allowed women to volunteer for juries. In practice, however, many states discriminated and managed to keep women from serving as jurors.
The Supreme Court considered the issue early in the 1960s. The Hoyt v. Florida decision upheld Florida's volunteer jury law because of a woman's unique position at the "center of home and family." This was not reversed until 1975.
Fighting for Equality and Opportunity
In 1967, the NOW Task Force on Legal and Political Rights still faced a country with twelve men sitting in many courtrooms. The task force's goal was to end sex discrimination in jury selection throughout the nation.