NO COMPRENDE ENGLISH......JURORS WHO DON'T NEED TO UNDERSTAND

New Mexico's top court ruled that citizens in the heavily Hispanic state who don't speak English still have the right to serve on a jury. The New Mexico Supreme Court cautioned  trial courts and lawyers on Monday that this is in fact a right enshrined in the state constitution to all people, even non-English speakers. The court issued the admonition in a unanimous ruling that upholds an Albuquerque man's convictions for murder and other crimes in the 2004 bludgeoning death of his girlfriend and a subsequent armed robbery and stabbing. Michael Anthony 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. The Supreme Court said it agrees with that argument but also said Samora's defense needed to object during the trial but didn't.
The ruling told trial judges and lawyers that they "have a shared responsibility to make every reasonable effort to protect the right of our non-English speaking citizens to serve on New Mexico juries." The ruling said the prospective juror's dismissal violated a constitutional provision that said a citizen's right to vote, hold office or serve on a jury cannot be restricted "on account of religion, race, language or color, or inability to speak, read or write the English or Spanish languages ..."

Justice in the U.S., definitely on its way out......