Gov. Hochul vetoes bill to restore jury rights for people convicted of felonies

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill Saturday that would have allowed those convicted of felonies to serve on juries in New York, frustrating reform advocates who argue the change would help balance out bias in the criminal justice system.

The bill, which state lawmakers approved earlier this year, would have reversed New York’s longstanding ban on jury service for anyone convicted of felonies at any point in their lives. If enacted, the bill would have allowed people with felony convictions to serve only after completing their sentences, including parole.

But Hochul rejected the measure, saying it included “technical and operational challenges that would make implementation difficult.” It was among 132 bills the governor signed or vetoed over the weekend.

“I attempted in good faith to reach a compromise with the Legislature, but we were unsuccessful,” she said. The governor often negotiates changes, known as chapter amendments, after the Legislature passes a bill and before she signs it.

Advocates for criminal-justice reform have urged states across the country to lift their jury bans, arguing that they disproportionately affect people of color and prohibit defendants from having true juries of their peers.

As of 2023, New York was one of 24 states where felony convictions triggered lifetime jury bans, according to research by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy. That includes New Jersey, where Gov. Phil Murphy has endorsed an effort to end the state’s ban.

Supporters including the New York Civil Liberties Union praised the state Legislature when it passed the bill in June, just before the Legislature ended its annual session. A pair of New York City Democrats, state Sen. Cordell Cleare of Manhattan and Assemblymember Jeff Aubry of Queens, sponsored the legislation.

But Hochul ultimately wasn’t on board. In her veto message, she did not elaborate on the technical challenges the bill would have created, though she did say it would require the state court system to “establish a new database to identify individuals who are eligible to have their jury rights restored.”

Phil Desgranges, attorney-in-charge of criminal law reform for The Legal Aid Society, said more diverse jury pools “lessen the stark racial disparities that have eroded public confidence” in the legal system.

“By vetoing this common-sense legislation, the governor has prevented New York from correcting an exclusion that unfairly stigmatizes the communities we serve, the majority of whom are people of color,” he said in a statement.