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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Lawyers for an Iowa woman facing a second death penalty trial for her role in the execution-style killings of five people in 1993 are planning to challenge the process used to select jurors.
Angela Johnson's attorneys on Friday asked for years of data to analyze the racial and gender makeup of grand juries and trial juries in the federal district that covers the northern half of Iowa.
They say the selection system may cause minorities to be underrepresented because of how officials create the juror pool. They also say women may face discrimination in the selection of jury forepersons.
Johnson is set to go on trial next year to determine whether she will be sent back to federal death row. A judge threw out her 2005 death sentence in March.