MA H1903

Removes the seven-year felony conviction disqualification from jury service eligibility under Chapter 234A of the General Laws

Creates new Section 67e allowing parties or the court to object to peremptory challenges on grounds of improper racial or ethnic bias, with objections heard outside the jury panel's presence

Requires courts to deny peremptory challenges if an objective observer could view race or ethnicity as a factor, without requiring proof of purposeful discrimination

Establishes seven presumptively invalid reasons for peremptory challenges: prior law enforcement contact, distrust of law enforcement, relationships with people who have criminal histories, living in high-crime neighborhoods, having children outside marriage, receiving state benefits, and not being a native English speaker

Requires conduct-based challenges (e.g., inattentiveness, demeanor) to be corroborated by the judge or opposing counsel to be considered valid