Bill > S918

This bill seeks to address racial disparity in jury selection by establishing a process to object to the use of peremptory challenges that may be based on improper bias. The bill requires the party exercising a peremptory challenge to articulate the reasons for it, and the court must then evaluate those reasons based on the totality of the circumstances to determine if an objective observer could view race or ethnicity as a factor. The bill also provides a list of presumptively invalid reasons for a peremptory challenge, such as having prior contact with law enforcement or living in a high-crime neighborhood. The goal of the bill is to ensure that peremptory challenges are not used in a discriminatory manner during the jury selection process.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S918