The States Assembly (French: Assemblée des États; Jèrriais: Êtats d'Jèrri) is the parliament of Jersey,[1] formed of the island's 37 deputies and the Connétable of each of the twelve parishes.

The origins of the legislature of Jersey lie in the system of self-government according to Norman law guaranteed to the Channel Islands by John, King of England, following the division of Normandy in 1204.

[citation needed] In 1259, Henry III signed the Treaty of Paris, resigning his claim to the Duchy of Normandy except the Channel Islands.

The Channel Islands were not absorbed into the Kingdom of England but two offices were appointed; the Warden (the Monarch's representative) and the Bailiff.

[citation needed] Prior to constitutional reforms of 1948, Jurats and the Rectors (senior priests of the Church of England) had central roles in the Assembly.

Jurats, elected for life by island-wide suffrage, presided over Assembly committees and sat in the Royal Court.

[8] In 2000, a review panel led by Sir Cecil Clothier proposed a series of significant political and constitutional reforms.

Key recommendations included the following:[9] The proposals to remove Connétables and the Bailiff from the Assembly faced political opposition and were not implemented.

[12] The Commission proposed reducing the number of members to 42, dividing the island into six electoral districts with seven Deputies, and that holding a referendum on whether the Connétables should remain in the Assembly.

The present chamber was opened in 1887, after a proposition was lodged au Greffe eleven years earlier providing for the establishment of a States Room above the Royal Court extension.

[15] The development and construction of the chamber were symbolic of the Assembly's increasing prominence and independence, and of Jersey's growing autonomy.

[8] In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the States met online using Microsoft Teams and in a socially distanced setting at Fort Regent.

[15] In the 2000s, a major refurbishment led the Bailiff's offices to be moved elsewhere in the complex and improvements for States Members' facilities.

In 2013, the Electoral Commission highlighted that most primary legislation was passed with minimal parliamentary examination, describing this as a 'serious democratic deficit'.

[23] Similarly, in 2014, the then Bailiff observed that detailed legislative provisions often did not receive the level of scrutiny that would be ideal.

In 2021, the PPC acknowledged some improvements, stating that legislative scrutiny had become a more regular part of the Assembly's work.

Under the Assembly's standing orders, there are five permanent Scrutiny panels of backbench members: Temporary 'Review Panels' may also be established to examine specific issues, for example: Brexit,[32] Future Hospital,[33] Care of Children in Jersey,[34] Gender Pay Gap,[35] Legal Aid,[36] One Government,[37] The Transfer of the Ambulance Service and CAMHS,[38] Government Plan,[39] Government Plan Efficiencies,[40] Safer Travel Guidelines,[41] and Migration and Population.

[43] The real utility of the panels is said to be "that of independent critique which holds ministers to account and constructively engages with policy which is deficient".

[44] In May 2022, the Privileges & Procedures Committee published an updated assessment of how the island meets the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's benchmarks for democratic legislatures.