FINAL BILL REPORT
SHB 2398
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
C 23 L 18
Synopsis as Enacted
Brief Description: Concerning jury selection.
Sponsors: House Committee on Judiciary (originally sponsored by Representatives Kilduff, Graves, Jinkins, Sawyer, Pollet, Valdez and Appleton).
House Committee on Judiciary
Senate Committee on Law & Justice
Background:
Jury Selection.
A jury is a body of persons temporarily selected from the qualified inhabitants of a particular district and invested with the power to present or indict a person for a public offense or try a question of fact. Jurors are randomly selected from a jury source list made up of the list of registered voters, licensed drivers, and identicard holders in each county. A person is qualified to be a juror if that person is over the age of 18, a United States citizen, a resident of the county of service, and able to communicate in English. If a person has ever been convicted of a felony, the person must have had their civil rights restored.
A citizen may not be excluded from jury service on account of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or economic status.
Washington Law Against Discrimination.
The Washington Law Against Discrimination establishes that it is a civil right to be free from discrimination based on: race; color; creed; national origin; sex or sexual orientation; honorably discharged veteran or military status; the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability; or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal. This right applies to: employment; places of public resort, accommodation, or amusement; commerce; and real estate, credit, and insurance transactions.
Summary:
Jury selection provisions are expanded to prohibit exclusion based on: creed; honorably discharged veteran or military status; sexual orientation; the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability; or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal.
Expanded jury selection provisions do not impact the right to peremptory challenges, the right to general or particular causes or challenges, or a judge's duty to excuse a juror.
Votes on Final Passage:
House | 98 | 0 | |
Senate | 49 | 0 |
Effective: | June 7, 2018 |