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Constitutional Law Keyed to Choper
Ramos v. Louisiana
Citation:
590 U.S. 83 (2020)Facts
Evangelisto Ramos was charged with a serious crime in Louisiana and insisted on his innocence. At his trial, 10 jurors voted to convict while 2 jurors voted to acquit, finding that the state had failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Under Louisiana’s law allowing non-unanimous verdicts, Ramos was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Louisiana’s non-unanimous jury rule originated in a 1898 state constitutional convention, which historical evidence suggests was designed to “establish the supremacy of the white race” and undermine African-American participation on juries. Similarly, Oregon’s non-unanimous jury provision from the 1930s has been linked to racial and ethnic discrimination. Ramos challenged his conviction, arguing that the Sixth Amendment requires jury unanimity in all criminal trials.
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