In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled nonunanimous jury convictions were unconstitutional, leading to a man's acquittal. One advocacy group says there are hundreds of similar cases in the state.
The 2020 ruling meant a new trial for Ramos, who was acquitted in March — this time by a unanimous jury — after defense lawyers highlighted weakness in the investigation leading to his prosecution.
In Oregon, the only other state that allowed nonunanimous verdicts for convictions before the Ramos case, the state Supreme Court granted new trials. But the U.S. Supreme Court and the Louisiana Supreme Court rejected arguments to apply the ruling retroactively. Instead of retroactively granting new trials, the legislation would establish a commission with three retired state appellate or Supreme Court judges empowered to decide whether the verdict “resulted in a miscarriage of justice,” and whether parole is warranted.
“It has to be true relief — release from being considered guilty,” said Hardell Ward, a Promise of Justice Initiative attorney whose client’s case led to a state high court ruling barring older, appeal-exhausted convictions from the ban on nonunanimous verdicts. Nonunanimous jury policies were rooted in post-Civil War policy and designed to make conviction of Black defendants easier, even with one or two Black jurors.
It’s not clear how many verdicts have come out differently after Ramos. The Louisiana District Attorneys Association is not compiling those statistics, Lampert said in an email.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Gorsuch serves as conscience of the U.S. Supreme CourtThe United States Supreme Court last week tersely dismissed an immigration-related case, known as Arizona v. Mayorkas, because the matter was moot.
Read more »
Supreme Court “Sackett” Decision Shrinks Protections for US WetlandsThis narrow interpretation of the Clean Water Act limits what qualifies as 'waters of the United States.'
Read more »
Biden’s student debt plan hangs in balance as major Supreme Court rulings loomThe legal fight over President Biden’s plan to forgive billions of dollars of student debt is one of the biggest cases on which the Supreme Court will rule in the next month.
Read more »
Covering the Supreme CourtOn today’s What Next: the legal press corps need to step it up this term.
Read more »