Instead, he ruled that the District has one of the most “inclusive” systems in America
A judge has ruled that the jury system in Washington, D.C., long considered “Chocolate City,” does not tend to block Blacks from duty in favor of Whites. The ruling by Superior Court Judge James E. Boasberg was a blow to the D.C. Public Defender Service, which has argued vehemently that the nation’s capital systematically excludes Black jurors. But Boasberg said Blacks might even be overrepresented in the pool of potential jurors. Armed with court orders, the Public Defender Service brought in scores of experts to scour through two years worth of papers and procedures, and to analyze jury pools and other data. What the attorneys found was that in D.C., which is 60 percent Black, 36 percent of Superior Court jurors were Black. But, instead of agreeing with the lawyers based on the statistical evidence, the judge found the data “wholly misleading.” Boasberg wrote in his ruling, “The data uncovered in this litigation conclusively prove that Black jurors are not unconstitutionally underrepresented in Superior Court [lists] – in fact, they are overrepresented in summonses issued – and there is also no systematic exclusion of Black jurors.” What he did find convincing was another study conducted for the U.S. attorney’s office showing that Blacks made up 56 percent of the city’s “adult” population and about 53 percent of the jurors over that two-year period. The public defenders’ concerns have fallen on sympathetic ears in recent years. Take the criminal case last year of a Black defendant who drew a jury pool of 70 candidates that included 61 Whites, eight Blacks and an Asian. The presiding judge, Neal E. Kravitz, agreeing with defense attorneys, demanded a new panel.

Ex-NASCAR employee sues for $225 million
A Black woman suing NASCAR for $225 million says she was treated with racist harassment, including being called “nappy-headed,” while working for the organization. Mauricia Grant was employed as an inspector for NASCAR from 2005 to 2007. She says she was subjected to working in the heat for longer periods of time than White employees because they feared sunburn. Grant also says White co-workers called her “nappy-headed Mo,” a variation of the insult that broadcaster Don Imus infamously called the Rutgers women’s basketball team. She alleges that employees also questioned her sexual preference. She was fired in October, despite having been previously praised by her supervisors, Grant says. NASCAR chairman Brian France has denied that Grant made any complaints about mistreatment on the job.

Tiger returns from knee surgery
The top golfer in the world and Tiger Woods is back just in time to play one of his favorite courses at Torrey Pines. Does he have a shot to win the U.S. Open? More at Playa Hater.

Eleven-time Pro Bowler says he’ll leave Ravens
Twelve-year Baltimore Ravens veteran Jonathan Ogden says he’s hanging up his cleats. A nagging toe injury during his last two NFL seasons is among the reasons the 11-time Pro Bowler says he’ll retire. “It took a little while to decide,” he tells the Baltimore Sun. “You just can’t make a decision like this overnight. I tried to work out, I tried to practice on the toe. But it never came back to 100 percent.” Regarded by some as the best offensive tackle in recent memory, Ogden helped the the Ravens to victory at Super Bowl XXXV. His career highlights include catching two touchdown passes.

Bills player is believed to have driven a vehicle that struck a pedestrian.

Marshawn Lynch may be charged with a felony. Having awaited an interview from Marshawn Lynch to discuss what happened two weekends ago when a vehicle registered to him struck a pedestrian, prosecutors are moving forward. Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark says the presumption is that Lynch was the driver in the hit-and-run accident, involving his 2008 Porsche SUV. The running back hasn’t made himself available to be interviewed about the incident, but investigators say damage to the vehicle further connected it to the crime scene. The 27-year-old woman struck by Lynch’s vehicle was bruised and treated at a hospital. Police later located the Porsche in Lynch’s driveway. “So the logical presumption is that he was driving the car,” Clark says.