Brown vetoes bill to put legal immigrants on juries

October 8, 2013

Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill Monday that would allow legal immigrants to serve on juries. [LA Times]

Had Brown signed Assembly Bill 1401 into law, California would have become the first state in the nation to allow non-citizens on juries.

“Jury service, like voting is quintessentially a prerogative and responsibility of citizenship,” Brown wrote in his veto message. “This bill would permit lawful permanent residents who are not citizens to serve on a jury. I don’t think that’s right.”

Democratic Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, who introduced the bill, said he was disappointed the governor vetoed it.

“Lawful permanent immigrants are part of the fabric of our communities, and they benefit from the protections of our laws, so it is fair and just that they be asked to share in the obligation to do jury duty, just as they serve in our courts, schools, police department and armed forces,” Wieckowski said.

Brown’s veto followed a week in which he signed two bills into law that expand the rights of non-citizens. Last week, Brown signed bills granting illegal immigrants the right to receive driver’s licenses and shielding arrested non-citizens from federal immigration officials.