Lawsuit seeks end to NY’s ban on jurors with felony records

By MICHAEL R. SISAK
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York civil rights organization has sued the state’s court system seeking to overturn a law barring people with felony convictions from serving on juries. The New York Civil Liberties Union argues that the statute spelling out qualifications for jury service disproportionately excludes Black men, leaving Black people significantly underrepresented in the jury pool. New York is just the latest state where the status quo of who’s allowed to serve on a jury is being challenged amid broader pushes for criminal justice reforms. California changed its law in 2020 to let people with felony records be jurors. Most states and federal courts still ban them, however.