The People v. Cross

Larry Cross, referred to herein as the defendant, was tried by jury in the circuit court of Vermilion County and convicted of the crime of burglary for which he was sentenced to the penitentiary for a term of not less than 18 months nor' more than 4 years. He has appealed to this court, a constitutional question being presented.

The defendant’s constitutional claim is based upon a challenge to the array of petit jurors on the ground that Negroes had been systematically excluded from the jury panel. The challenge was first presented orally by counsel for the defendant who stated that the…