Includes in the court's jury charge that the jury is not to allow bias, sympathy, fear, public opinion, or the defendant being a member of a protected class to influence their decision.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2366
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 22, 2019
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WALLACE -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the criminal procedure law, in relation to including in
the court's jury charge that the jury is not to allow bias, sympathy,
fear, public opinion, or the defendant being a member of a protected
class influence their decision
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 300.10 of the criminal procedure law is amended by
2 adding a new subdivision 2-a to read as follows:
3 2-a. In its charge, the court must instruct the jury as follows: "Do
4 not allow any bias, sympathy, fear, or public opinion influence your
5 decision in any way. Your verdict must be based solely upon the evidence
6 at trial and not upon the race, color, gender, national origin, ances-
7 try, religion, age, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation of
8 any person."
9 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
10 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00321-01-9
