Oh Moses smell the roses!
This has to be one of the most stupid decisions ever made. Period.
Funny, when my Parents became citizens I thought along with other requirements, they had to be able to read, write and speak English. It’s no wonder we are no longer a melting pot, we are now the un congealed masses.
Another one of those jury nullification things. If they can’t speak English, there is probably a reason why. Like having been in the United States “only a very short distance” and probably being here illegally. That is NOT a jury of any American’s peers. The bozos on this “court” act like they might be on drugs.
The whole court system in this country consist of the same sort of Judges Hitler’s Nazi regime had.
They are ruled by the Central (Obama) Government.
What about people with Alzheimers disease? They have as much right to serve on a jury as non English speakers. They would not know what is going on inside the courtroom just like people who do not understand English.
The brief article states that New Mexico lawyers have to state their objections to a non-English speaking potential juror during jury selection, not after the case has been adjudicated. The NM Supreme Court also warned judges to ‘protect the rights of non-English speaking potential jurors’. They didn’t mention protecting the rights of defendants who are having their fate decided by someone who doesn’t understand English. The ruling is absurd.
So! Will we be having multi-lingual trials with all the extra costs and confusion now?
Article VII - Elective Franchise, Section 3 (Religious and racial equality protected: restrictions on amendments):
“The right of any citizen of the state to vote, hold office or sit upon juries, shall never be restricted, abridged or impaired on account of religion, race, language or color, or inability to speak read or write the English or Spanish languages except as may be otherwise provided in this constitution.”
I sat upon a jury where a prospective juror was questioned in Spanish with a translator provided by the court. That person was not selected as it have required a translator present during deliberations - doable but a distraction to say the least.
On the other hand, I would have had BIG problems with the decision if the story had read:
NM Court Rules Non-English Speaking NON-Citizens Can Serve On Juries
How did they become citizens while not able to speak any English? Hmmm? Why is this allowed.
I’m not expecting Strunk’s Guide to Style quality English, but a working knowledge of the language.
If I were a defense lawyer in New Mexico I’d make sure to put a bunch of Tibetans and Bosnians and Fijians on the jury, and then kick my client’s trial into endless delay as the State scurries about looking for all those translators.
What a great idea.
Why not an ALL-non-English speaking jury??
So I have to learn mexican (non-english) so they are my peers?
A non-English speaking jury would in all likelihood contain people who were none of the above.
This may be a New Mexico thing as both English and Spanish are the official languages.
How will they understand the evidence? Or does that matter?
How does someone come to the USA & then become a citizen without speaking English?
I thought that was a basic requirement.
IF I were a defendant in that court, I would demand a mistrial & a new jury of MY PEERS.
MY PEERS all speak English- and write it & read it!!!!!
Why would anyone think they have the right to live in a country where they don’t understand what’s going on and then refuse to learn the language of the land?
If someone moved to Mexico, Italy, Russia, China, or France would they be expecting to live in that culture without speaking the language and insisting that they be provided an interpreter? This incident proves without a shadow of doubt that our nation is being destroyed in order to hand it over in a condition acceptable to a new ignorant majority.
Politicians and judges, in fact our entire convoluted courts system, has become the enemy of Americans with functioning brains.
Liberalism really IS a mental disorder!