SCLC #624 Baltimore juries · race-sorted petit cards + token grand jury

January–February 1961 Commission staff investigation found two different city practices plus a separate federal system:

• City criminal petit juries: separate white/Black prospective-juror cards; monthly proportional assignment. Inclusionary intent, but Commission opined deliberate racial allocation violates equal protection (Cassell v. Texas). No court judgment invalidating this Baltimore practice is reported.
• City grand juries: judges nominated/discussed 23 three times yearly. Over ~30 grand juries in ten years: two with none Black, two with three, remainder one or two — apparent token representation against ~35% Black city population. Judges cited recruitment difficulty; two Black leaders disputed scarcity.
• Federal Maryland district: statewide pool; clerk said always Black federal grand jurors, sometimes 6–7 — interview report, not audited roster.

Do not apply city grand-jury counts to petit juries, or treat proportional petit allocation as a judicially approved remedy. Primary: 61-006-U.pdf pp.93–94 notes 54–62 pp.245–246.