Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 17
Gothamist: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill Saturday that would have allowed those convicted of felonies to serve on juries in New York, frustrating reform advocates who argue the change would help balance out bias in the criminal justice system.
The bill, which state lawmakers approved earlier this year, would have reversed New York’s longstanding ban on jury service for anyone convicted of felonies at any point in their lives. If enacted, the bill would have allowed people with felony convictions to serve only after completing their sentences, including parole.
But Hochul rejected the measure, saying it included “technical and operational challenges that would make implementation difficult.” It was among 132 bills the governor signed or vetoed over the weekend.
“I attempted in good faith to reach a compromise with the Legislature, but we were unsuccessful,” she said. The governor often negotiates changes, known as chapter amendments, after the Legislature passes a bill and before she signs it.
Advocates for criminal-justice reform have urged states across the country to lift their jury bans, arguing that they disproportionately affect people of color and prohibit defendants from having true juries of their peers.
As of 2023, New York was one of 24 states where felony convictions triggered lifetime jury bans, according to research by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy. That includes New Jersey, where Gov. Phil Murphy has endorsed an effort to end the state’s ban.
