[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 102 (Monday, June 12, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E542]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA LOCAL JUROR NON-DISCRIMINATION 
                              ACT OF 2023

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 12, 2023

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the District of Columbia 
Local Juror Non-Discrimination Act of 2023. This bill would clarify 
that D.C. residents may not be excluded or disqualified from jury 
service in the local D.C. trial court, the D.C. Superior Court, based 
on sexual orientation or gender identity. Specifically, this bill would 
clarify that the term sex, which is a protected class under the non-
discrimination law that applies to jurors in the D.C. Superior Court, 
includes sexual orientation and gender identity. Last Congress, the 
House Committee on Oversight and Reform passed this bill.
  D.C. has one of the strongest non-discrimination laws in the country, 
including protecting individuals based on sexual orientation and gender 
identity. However, under the D.C. Home Rule Act, D.C. does not have the 
authority to amend the non-discrimination law that applies to D.C. 
jurors. Therefore, until D.C. is given control over its local courts, 
an act of Congress is required to clarify that LGBTQ+ jurors are 
protected from discrimination.
  As the Supreme Court said in Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Company, 
``discrimination within the courtroom raises serious questions as to 
the fairness of the proceedings conducted there. [B]ias mars the 
integrity of the judicial system and prevents the idea of democratic 
government from becoming a reality.'' Similarly, the Court, in Batson 
v. Kentucky, which was a juror discrimination case based on race, said, 
``The harm from discriminatory jury selection extends beyond that 
inflicted on the defendant and the excluded juror to touch the entire 
community. Selection procedures that purposefully exclude black persons 
from juries undermine public confidence in the fairness of our system 
of justice.''
  I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

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