Law and Borders

Abstract

In late 2013, the California legislature and Governor Jerry Brown put immigration squarely on their agendas. The governor signed bills limiting police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, expanding access to in-state tuition benefits for unauthorized immigrant students, and clarifying that all individuals who met the requirements to practice law in California were eligible for law licenses, regardless of immigration status. At the same time, he vetoed a bill that would have permitted lawful permanent residents to sit on juries. He observed that jury service, like voting, was “quintessentially a prerogative and responsibility of citizenship.”