ACLU-NJ Applauds Executive Order Expanding Jury Service Eligibility to People with Criminal Convictions

The ACLU of New Jersey applauds Governor Murphy today for using his clemency powers to expand jury service eligibility to individuals with state convictions who have completed their sentences. The executive order – which will restore jury service eligibility to hundreds of thousands of people – marks another historic milestone in the Murphy administration’s work remedying racial inequities in the criminal legal system, valuing second chances, and mitigating systemic injustices. The ACLU-NJ launched The Clemency Project in 2024 to encourage Gov. Murphy to use his clemency powers expansively.

New Jersey law bars people who have been convicted of indictable offenses from serving on juries for their entire lives – making it one of the most extreme jury exclusion laws in the nation. Because racialized policing has caused Black New Jerseyans to be overrepresented in the criminal legal system, they are vastly underrepresented on New Jersey juries. This underrepresentation robs defendants of their right to be tried by their peers, degrades the quality of jury deliberations, and erodes public confidence in the courts.

The executive order signed today restores jury service eligibility to all New Jerseyans who have completed their sentences for indictable offenses as of the order’s effective date and is meaningful progress for democracy and racial justice. The order does not cover those on probation and parole, and it will not affect those who complete their sentences in the future because clemency powers can only be exercised to grant relief for past conduct. A forward-looking legislative solution is necessary to comprehensively address unjustifiable racial disparities in the criminal legal system.

The following statement can be attributed to Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey:

“We believe people deserve second chances, and that includes being able to once again participate fully in civic life. Jury service is a pillar of democracy, and one of the most meaningful opportunities for people to engage in the democratic process. Exclusion laws that attempt to take away the right of serving on a jury have long been tools of white supremacy. Today’s executive order will help repair some of the harms caused by excluding returning citizens from this vital civic duty, allowing for more representative juries and building a stronger democracy.

“People with criminal convictions who have served their sentences are as capable of serving as jurors as anyone else. Representation makes our juries stronger, not weaker, and all New Jerseyans who are active, full members of society deserve to be considered for the foundational civil right of serving on a jury.

“We celebrate the signing of this executive order and thank Governor Murphy for his commitment to repairing the harms inflicted by a historically unjust and racist criminal legal system. We urge New Jersey leaders to continue to build a more fair and representative democracy for all by codifying a permanent, forward-looking, and inclusive right to serve on a jury.”