Paying taxes in the state of California could also make a person eligible for jury duty. A bill introduced in the State Senate would require county courts to also pull jurors from a list of people who paid their state taxes. Currently, people who are selected for jury duty come from two lists: registered voters and those with driver’s licenses. Nevada County’s Court Executive Officer, Jason Galkin, say he’s not sure how much more the jury pool will actually deepen, if the measure becomes law…

But Galkin indicates he’s supportive of legislation that could provide opportunities for people not able to participate in the judicial process, under the current selection system. He also believes the issue has come up at the State Capitol in the past and is not linked to coronavirus impacts on the size of the jury pool. But he says Nevada County has now doubled the number of summons mailed out…

One of the measure’s authors, State Senator Scott Wiener, argues the current lists overlook a large portion of the population, including many lower-income residents and people of color.