Since it's Friday, here's some good news for you:
http://www.washingtonblade.com/...
A Senate panel approved as part of a major financial services spending bill on Thursday a measure that would ensure non-discrimination for LGBT people as part of the juror selection process.
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the measure, known as the Jury ACCESS Act, as part of the fiscal year 2014 financial services appropriations bill, which was reported out of committee by a vote of 16-14.
The larger measure funds the Treasury Department and other finance-related government institutions like the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. The LGBT measure was included as part of the base bill.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who introduced the LGBT bill in January, said in a statement the move would ensure that LGBT people don’t face discrimination as part of the juror selection process. - Washington Blade, 7/25/13
More below the fold.
Here's what Shaheen had to say in regards to the Jury ACCESS Act:
http://www.metroweekly.com/...
"Discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity simply has no place in the United States," said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), in a statement. "The judicial process should represent our nation’s principles of inclusion and acceptance, and eliminating the discriminatory exclusion of LGBT jurors is a necessary step to meeting that goal."
Shaheen along with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) re-introduced the Jury ACCESS (Access for Capable Citizens and Equality in Service Selection) Act in January.
"The justice system can only provide fair trials if juries accurately represent our communities," Whitehouse said in a statement. - Metro Weekly, 7/25/13
As mentioned before, Shaheen introduced the bill earlier this year:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
The legislation, which was introduced by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), has already been a number of LGBT advocacy groups including the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the National LGBT Bar Association and the Alliance for Justice.
“We simply can’t tolerate discrimination against a potential juror because of sexual orientation or gender identity," Shaheen is quoted as saying in the press release. "Our country is founded on the principles of inclusion, acceptance, and equality. The jury selection process in federal courts should reflect those principles." - Huffington Post, 1/25/13
Some states have already made it illegal to discriminate against LGBT Americans for jru duty:
http://americanindependent.com/...
While it is unlawful to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin and economic status in jury service, no protections exist for sexual orientation or gender identity. In some cases, LGBT people have been removed as potential jurors in cases that involve gay rights issues, most recently in San Diego where a gay juror was removed from a panel that would decide the fate of marriage equality protesters.
Only three states ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in jury service; California and Oregon passed legislation several years ago, and Minnesota’s Gov. Mark Dayton signed such a bill into law in May.
Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, as well as Republican Susan Collins of Maine have been advancing the issue in the Senate.
“Jury service is an important public service, and I am pleased that the committee has adopted our language that would prohibit potential jurors from being dismissed for service in federal trials based solely on sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Sen. Collins in a statement on Thursday. - American Independent, 7/26/13
Now the next step is to get the Senate to pass S.3618 Jury ACCESS Act. Please contact your Senator and tell them to get behind this bill:
http://www.senate.gov/...
And if you would like to thank Senator Shaheen for leading on this issue, please do contribute to her 2014 re-election campaign:
https://secure.actblue.com/...