Introduction of the District of Columbia Local Juror Non-Discrimination Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia Local Juror Non-Discrimination Act of 2023. This bill would clarify that D.C. residents may not be excluded or disqualified from jury service in the local D.C. trial court, the D.C. Superior Court, based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Specifically, this bill would clarify that the term sex, which is a protected class under the non- discrimination law that applies to jurors in the D.C. Superior Court, includes sexual orientation and gender identity. Last Congress, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform passed this bill.

D.C. has one of the strongest non-discrimination laws in the country, including protecting individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity. However, under the D.C. Home Rule Act, D.C. does not have the authority to amend the non-discrimination law that applies to D.C. jurors. Therefore, until D.C. is given control over its local courts, an act of Congress is required to clarify that LGBTQ+ jurors are protected from discrimination.

As the Supreme Court said in Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Company, ``discrimination within the courtroom raises serious questions as to the fairness of the proceedings conducted there. [B]ias mars the integrity of the judicial system and prevents the idea of democratic government from becoming a reality.'' Similarly, the Court, in Batson v. Kentucky, which was a juror discrimination case based on race, said, ``The harm from discriminatory jury selection extends beyond that inflicted on the defendant and the excluded juror to touch the entire community. Selection procedures that purposefully exclude black persons from juries undermine public confidence in the fairness of our system of justice.''

I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

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