Waiver of a Jury Trial (H 7743, S 2098)

The ACLU of Rhode Island strongly opposed this legislation, introduced on behalf of the Attorney General, which would give his office veto power over a criminal defendant’s current legal right to waive their right to a jury trial. We believed this legislation would undermine a basic principle of state law and the recognition that a defendant should have the right to have certain sensitive criminal cases heard by a judge rather than jury. This bill died in committee.