Published on: Monday, June 21, 2021

Discrimination would be prohibited against jurors in federal courts on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity under a bill reintroduced by U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Susan Collins of Maine (article available here).

Right now, Section 1862, title 28 of United States Code prohibits exclusion from jury service “on account of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or economic status.” Eleven states prohibit exclusion from jury service in state court based on sexual orientation; eight protect against discrimination based on gender identity, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Efforts to pass a federal law have failed at least four times, most recently in 2019.