New Jersey lawmakers are trying to move a bill forward that would allow people with prior convictions to serve as jurors in the state.

Currently, Jersey bans hundreds of thousands of people from serving on juries due to criminal convictions.

As a result, more than 219,000 black people in New Jersey are banned from jury service because of a conviction.

That's roughly a quarter of the state's overall Black population.

Melissa Rose Cooper spoke with social justice advocates who say ending the ban could increase diversity in the courtroom.

The very people in the on the Assembly Judiciary Committee, they voted to restore our voting rights.

So that meant that they were okay with us voting them into office.

But for us to sit on juries, it just didn't make any sense that the push back to exclude us from being able to sit on juries.

And so on.

Henshaw, reacting to the New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee's decision to advance a bill that would allow people with prior convictions to serve as jurors.

The measure, however, excludes residents convicted of murder or aggravated sexual assault.

That means Henshaw, who now spends his time helping formerly incarcerated people get their lives back on track, wouldn't be able to sit on a jury.

Having served 30 years in prison for homicide.

Who is a better subject matter expert is someone who went to trial loss, understands a lot of the court procedure, and most of the brothers and I don't know that we were that testified at the assembly.

We're all paralegals, certified paralegals and so why should we be excluded from the jury pool?

And we were the ones we're the ones pushing for the for the right to sit on juries.

It wasn't the one for or people that weren't charged with the homicides.

It was the very people with the homicides pushing for this.

Right.

Yet it's a right social advocates say is unfairly denied to hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans every day.

Our jury pools are increasingly becoming whitewashed.

We know that our criminal legal system disproportionately affects Black and brown New Jerseyans.

And by having this lifetime ban, it precludes from 23 or 29% of the entire black population of New Jersey, which is about nearly a third.

Emily Schwartz, senior counsel at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, believes any exclusion to the bill is more like punishment rather than fulfilling a civic obligation.

We either believe in the idea of individuals serving their time and redemption or we don't.

It's also really important to note that this bill doesn't do anything to change the voir dire.

Also known as jury selection process.

Every single person in a jury pool has the potential to have bias.

And so to draw this line for these two particular offenses really doesn't make sense because it's the people closest to the case, whether that be the attorneys and the presiding judge, they can decide whether an individual, if that bias exists or does not.

Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds Jackson speaking on the bill in a statement saying This bill reinforces our ongoing commitment to create a more inclusive and fair legal system.

Individuals who have overcome their past mistakes bring experiences and perspectives that can strengthen our administration of justice by creating a more diverse and representative judiciary.

Former Governor Jim McGreevey, chairman of the Board of the New Jersey Reentry Program and current Jersey City mayoral candidate, says the bill is crucial to restoring justice in our state.

I think it should move forward and then most importantly, long term.

I think it's critical that New Jersey continues to bring in as many court involved persons into the full array of benefits that all citizens have.

The Senate version of the jury reform bill is now pending review by its Judiciary Committee.

Social advocates are hoping the exclusions will be removed so all residents can have the chance to carry out their civic duties.

For NJ Spotlight News, I'm Melissa Rose Cooper.