The Jury of Our Peers Act

Judiciary Law § 510(3) not only permanently strips individuals with a felony conviction of a basic right of citizenship—denying them the opportunity to engage in a core part of our system of self-government—but, because of the history of discriminatory policing and prosecution, it has the very real effect of reducing jury diversity. Simply put, the law prevents the promise of a “jury of one’s peers” from being realized.

The Jury of Our Peers Act will strengthen our democracy and public confidence in our legal system by restoring the right to serve on a jury upon release from incarceration. The NYCLU strongly supports passage of this bill and urges the legislature to pass the Jury of Our Peers Act immediately.