California moves to let felons serve on juries

[Csonka]

the spirit of the law is to be judged by a jury of your peers

If you live in an area where a lot of people have served time, they are your peers. I don't have a problem in that respect.

But as long as they are your actual peers. If you live in a low-crime area where ex felons are rare, they should not be on a jury

[NYLIER]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Yeah pal, I was there. 22 years of service as well. The military then, now, and always is / has been full of all types: thieves, liars, rapists and murders as well as heros and everyday Joe’s and Jane’s.

Being a Vietnam vet is incidental - but demonstrates the guys I mention as examples served the nation, had careers and families ... and did their service and careers and personal relationships with honor, courage, and commitment. ... And a couple of them slipped up, badly, for a bit. Had to pay. And they did. Then they came back and ran their lives with discipline and excellence.

But they’re felons. And you, like many people, assume the label defines the man. I just provided examples that show the definition goes a lot deeper.

And that is what voir dire is designed to consider.

I don't know one person that committed a felony crime. You know two from the same bloodline?! It seems like history repeated itself. If they truly straightened their lives out, that is fantastic. If it becomes legal for them to serve on juries, they should have to state that they were in prison for a felony.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

Originally Posted by veritased

Same thing with illegal immigration being given healthcare in CA. Brings the Latino vote all the closer to the DNC, all for the tidy sum of a cool billion or two.

This is really wrong thinking. And this is the kind of thinking that helped get Governor Grey Davis thrown out of office.

Legal immigrants are absolutely NOT in favor of letting illegal immigrants get a free pass in California, and probably any other state.

So, when Grey Davis was promoting giving drivers licenses to illegal immigrants, thinking he'd get the latino vote, he was ever so wrong.

The immigrants here who went through the difficult process of becoming a legal citizen, don't usually have much sympathy for those who want to bypass the difficult road that they had to follow. Point being that it's a huge myth that latino legal voters will vote for leniency regarding illegal latino immigrants. The same is for any other race, but it seems to usually focus on latinos.

There is also a class issue to be considered. Mexico is a very class oriented culture. So, a Mexican who is now considered of a higher position in the U.S., even simply by the fact that they are a legal citizen, will probably consider themselves to be far above any illegal residents. So, anyone who thinks that just because two people are of latino blood, that one of them who is in a better position will feel equal to the plight of someone they consider beneath them - is very much mistaken.

Bottom line is that a latino legal voter in the U.S. is not more likely than anyone else who is a legal voter to vote to give a break to an illegal resident. And, they may actually be less likely to do so than a non-latino voter, because of their culture, etc.

[ysr_racer]

What about the illegal Latino voter?