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Legislature OKs bill to let noncitizens serve on California juries
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| Contributor | IndyGeorgia |
| Last Edited | IndyGeorgia Aug 29, 2013 04:12pm |
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| Category | News |
| Author | Patrick McGreevy and Melanie Mason |
| Media | Newspaper - Los Angeles Times |
| News Date | Thursday, August 29, 2013 10:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | SACRAMENTO — Legal immigrants who are not American citizens would be able to serve on juries in California under a bill that lawmakers sent to Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday.
The measure joins a proposal already on the governor's desk that would also allow legal permanent residents to serve as poll workers in California elections.
The bills are among a handful that would expand immigrant rights in California and have sparked rancorous debate in the Legislature.
Immigrants "are part of the fabric of our community," Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) said during the floor debate Thursday. "They benefit from the protections of our laws, so it is fair and just that they be asked to share in the obligation to do jury duty."
Republicans opposed the measure, which passed the Assembly with a bare majority. The Senate approved the bill Monday.
"I do think there is something called the jury of your peers," countered Assemblyman Rocky Chavez (R-Oceanside). "Peers are people who understand the nuances of America."
He noted that some immigrants come from countries where suspects are guilty until proven innocent and where people are taught to obey authority, not question it.
The bill, AB 1401, was authored by the Assembly Judiciary Committee, which seeks a way to expand the pool of eligible jurors in California. |
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