How Jury Selection Changes Are Affecting California’s Judicial System

A judge listens as a public defender speaks to the jury during closing arguments in a trial in Los Angeles on June 30, 2022. Frederic J. Brown-Pool/Getty Images

In 2020, a law was passed in California that aimed at eliminating “unconscious bias”—including “implicit and institutional biases”—from jury selection processes throughout all courts in the state, according to the bill authors.

However, critics say the law—AB 3070—which went into effect in January 2022, is decreasing public safety and having a negative impact on convictions.