The American Jury: Can Noncitizens Still Be Excluded?

“Though noncitizens can be, and frequently are, judged by juries, they are categorically excluded from serving on them.  In this Note, I explore the implications of this exclusion from demographic, functional, and doctrinal perspectives.  The demographic portrait of noncitizens and minorities in the United States shows that the citizenship requirement for jury service results in the exclusion of significant numbers of residents in certain regions, and that this exclusion is highly skewed by race and ethnicity.  The exclusion and resulting decrease in jury diversity has potentially negative effects on the jury’s decisionmaking and its institutional legitimacy, and it excludes many residents who may be integrated into the community for many other purposes.  Doctrinally, the exclusion of noncitizens from the jury might be challenged as unconstitutional on several grounds.  Although some of the constitutional arguments are unlikely to be persuasive to

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