San Francisco, CA, March 16, 2005 .... The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is alarmed about allegations that the Alameda County District Attorney's Office maintained an informal practice of using peremptory challenges to exclude Jews and African-American women from death penalty juries.

Over the last year, ADL has consulted with attorneys raising these disturbing claims before the California state courts on behalf of defendants challenging their capital sentences.

Jonathan Bernstein, ADL Central Pacific Regional Director, issued the following statement:

We call upon the state courts, the Alameda County District Attorney, and the Attorney General to investigate these claims vigorously until the truth is known and made public.

If these troubling allegations are proven true, the practice must be halted immediately, all wrongdoers must be disciplined, and any resulting injustices must be corrected.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.