Bill > S830

This bill aims to address racial disparity in jury selection by establishing new rules and guidelines for the use of peremptory challenges during jury trials. The key provisions include: 1. Allowing parties or the court to raise an objection to the use of a peremptory challenge on the grounds of improper bias, which would then require the party exercising the challenge to articulate the reasons for it. 2. Requiring the court to evaluate the reasons given for the peremptory challenge and determine whether an objective observer could view race or ethnicity as a factor in its use. If so, the court must deny the peremptory challenge, even without finding purposeful discrimination. 3. Providing a list of presumptively invalid reasons for a peremptory challenge, such as having prior contact with law enforcement, expressing distrust of law enforcement, living in a high-crime neighborhood, or not being a native English speaker. 4. Requiring any challenge based on a prospective juror's conduct to be corroborated by the judge or opposing counsel, or else the reason will be considered invalid. The overall goal of this bill is to address the issue of racial bias in the jury selection process and ensure more diverse and representative juries.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S830