BILL NUMBER: S4506

SPONSOR: RAMOS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the judiciary law, in relation to the form of the juror
qualification questionnaire

 
PURPOSE:

To remove the requirement for non-citizens called into jury duty to
submit a form of proof that they are non-citizens and ineligible to
serve on a jury.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends section 513 of the judiciary law, for the
chief administrator of the courts to only require a prospective juror to
certify, under penalty of perjury, that they are ineligible to serve on
a jury.

Section 2 sets forth the effective date.
              

 
JUSTIFICATION:

When New York State residents are called into jury duty, they are
required to complete a Juror Qualification Questionnaire detailing
personal information. One of these questions asks if the individual is a
citizen of the United States. If the person is not a citizen, they are
required to submit a form of proof, such as a Visa, a Passport, a Green
Card, or an Employment Authorization Card. This bill removes the
requirement to submit those proofs, and instead would only allow the
Office of Court Administration to require non-citizens to certify under
penalty of perjury they are not a citizen and ineligible to serve on a
jury.

Many undocumented immigrants feel heightened levels of anxiety and
psychological distress due to their citizenship status, especially when
confronted with the potential of coming into contact with government
agencies. OCA exposes non-citizens to needless risk by requiring them to
transmit sensitive documents by mail. This legislation would provide a
safer process for non-citizens to clarify their eligibility to serve on
a jury.

 
FISCAL IMPACT:

None

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law.