Gov. @GavinNewsom signed several important racial justice bills into law today. These new laws are important steps toward improving the fairness of California’s justice system and beginning to right some wrongs done under racially biased laws of the past. @CAgovernor
Last year, Gov. Newsom restored the right of formerly incarcerated people to participate in the legal process as jurors. Today, Gov. Newsom expanded the source lists used to form pools of potential jurors - now those with California IDs, registered voters, and state taxpayers.
Jury service is the community’s means of exercising a check on prosecutorial discretion and overreach. A jury’s verdict is only fair when the pool of potential jurors accurately reflects the broader community. This new law will help make that true in California.
Gov. Newsom signed another bill that will make it more difficult for prosecutors to strike people of color from jury pools for pre-textual reasons. Despite vigorous opposition from judges and prosecutor lobbying groups, this bill is now the law in California.
Gov. Newsom also signed a bill modeled on North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act. Under the new California law, a person can prevent a criminal conviction or sentence if there is evidence that the trial or other court proceedings were impacted by racial discrimination.
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