Gov. Phil Murphy wants formerly incarcerated NJ residents to serve on juries

During remarks at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice's 25th-anniversary gala on Wednesday night, Gov. Phil Murphy offered his support of legislation that would let formerly incarcerated individuals serve on juries.

Murphy said he was “publicly announcing” his backing for legislation that would “restore the right to serve on juries to formerly incarcerated individuals in New Jersey” and said it would allow New Jersey to “join the group of states, including red states like Indiana and North Dakota, where this is currently the law.”

What would proposed legislation do?

The bill is aimed at broadening the jury pool while also taking a step toward eliminating racial disparities on juries. New Jersey is one of just a handful of states that ban anyone who has been convicted of any indictable offense from jury service for life.

Under current law, past convictions for violating the law, in New Jersey or any other state or on the federal level, are automatic disqualifiers for jury service. The bill eliminates the disqualifier.

A bill has been introduced in each legislative session since 2018 calling for the state to update the practice and restore jury eligibility to people who have been released from the prison system.

In this session the Senate bill is sponsored by Sens. Raj Mukherji and Angela McKnight and the Assembly bill is sponsored by Assembly members Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Shanique Speight and Reginald Atkins.

It has not been heard before committee in either chamber in this session. The bill passed the Assembly on the last day of the last session.

It was on the agenda for the Senate Judiciary Committee in December, but the committee chair, Sen. Brian Stack — who had sponsored the bill — pulled it from the list before the meeting started.

Reentry in New Jersey: No job, no IDs, no housing: People struggle to move on after incarceration in NJ prisons

How many formerly incarcerated people could be affected?

The Murphy administration said about half a million New Jersey residents are barred from jury service for life, with the number disproportionately coming from communities of color.

“Our administration believes in second chances, and restoring these individuals’ right to perform a fundamental civic duty is not just about ending an injustice that continues to plague our formerly incarcerated neighbors,” Murphy said. “It is also about defending the integrity of our democracy, our criminal justice system and the rule of law.”

Murphy has taken other steps toward criminal justice reform during his time in office, including the creation of a petition process for “clean slate” expungements, restoration of voting rights to residents on probation or parole and the “Fair Chance in Housing Act,” which removed criminal history questions from most housing applications.

Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Phil Murphy wants formerly incarcerated people to serve on NJ juries