Perhaps the greatest deterrent for criminals these days is the prospect of facing that group of geniuses on the jury who couldn't figure out a decent excuse to avoid the duty.

Angry cops, omnipresent security video systems and junkyard dogs ain't got nothin' on that. But the job of filling jury seats with Americans who at least have a pulse has become so difficult that state lawmakers now want to allow noncitizens to do the job. Really:

A bill by state Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski that would allow noncitizens to participate in this vital part of what it means to be an American citizen passed the lower house in Sacramento this week.

So now, if it passes the Senate and gets Gov. Jerry Brown's signature, your fate could be in the hands of the people who sell used cars, wash dishes and twirl signs on street corners.

(The bill, AB 1401, would not allow those who came here illegally to participate).

And you thought being judged by the unemployed, retirees and neighborhood busy bodies was bad.

One SoCal Republican assemblyman, Rocky Chavez, was against it. He worries that having folks without the same “cultural experience” as the rest of us might not be fit to make such life-altering decisions.

We've already given our construction, restaurant and engineering jobs over to immigrants. Might as well let them have our jury duty too.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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