New Mexico Court Rules Non-English Speaking Citizens Can Serve On Juries

[Locutus]

Que?

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court is cautioning trial courts and lawyers that citizens who don’t speak English have the right to serve on juries.

The court issued the admonition in a ruling that upholds an Albuquerque man’s convictions for murder and other crimes in the bludgeoning death of his girlfriend and a subsequent armed robbery and stabbing.

Michael Samora’s appeal argued that his convictions should be reversed because a Bernalillo County judge excused a Spanish-speaking prospective juror who had trouble understanding English.


lost in translation



New Mexico Court Rules Non-English Speaking Citizens Can Serve On Juries « CBS Las Vegas

 

[Blackleaf]

If I was on trial for something the last thing I'd want is for somebody who can't even speak the lingo serving on the jury.

 

[petros]

Ever heard of translators?

 

[Sal]

Ever heard of translators?

I'm not really keen on having to pay translators hundreds of dollars an hour for a lengthy trial...now if the defense needs a translator for their client then yes otherwise, it doesn't really work for me

 

[petros]

I'm not really keen on having to pay translators hundreds of dollars an hour for a lengthy trial...now if the defense needs a translator for their client then yes otherwise, it doesn't really work for me

In Canada we pay out the *** to have French translators in courts, cops, hospitals, airports etc in areas of Canada where French speaking Canadians are something you only see on TV.

 

[Sal]

In Canada we pay out the *** to have French translators in courts, cops, hospitals, airports etc in areas of Canada where French speaking Canadians are something you only see on TV.

yes but it is an official language

 

[petros]

More people speak Spanish than English in the US as their mother tongue.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

yes but it is an official language

That's kinda the point. Because the U.S. has no official language, excluding a juror for inability to speak or understand English would be discrimination.

By the way, everybody, please note the context. Before y'all get all het up over them gol-dang immigrants comin' here and demanding special treatment, this WASN'T about a non-English speaker demanding to be on a jury. This was about the lawyer of a convicted criminal trying to get his client off by claiming it's unConstitutional to have a non-English speaker on the jury.

The technical legal term for this is "grasping at straws."

Nonetheless, you'd be surprised at how often it works.

 

[L Gilbert]

Cool.