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Non-Unanimous Jury Verdicts Give Prosecutors ‘Awesome Power’ and Have Racist Roots
by Dale Chappell
Only Louisiana and Oregon allow non-unanimous jury verdicts to convict. In both states, the law allows just 10 of the 12 jurors to agree a person is guilty. While such laws give prosecutors “awesome power” to convict, they also have racist roots.
In 1898, Louisiana adopted the ...
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More from this issue:
- Courts Have Made Social Media a Landmine for Defendants. Could It Change Soon?, by Steve Horn
- $600,000 Awarded Missouri Man in Legal Malpractice Verdict After 17 Years in Prison
- Denver Under Fire For Law That Critics Describe as Legalized ‘Car Stealing’, by Derek Gilna
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court Announces Search Warrant Required for Nonconsensual Entry into Any Residence to Carry Out Arrest Warrant, by Richard Resch
- Mississippi Supreme Court Clarifies that Appellate Courts Never Serve as ‘13th Juror’ for Motion for New Trial, by David Reutter
- New Mexico Supreme Court: Seriousness of Charged Crime Itself Not Sufficient to Deny Defendant Pretrial Release, by Dale Chappell
- #Policetoo: 35 States Allow ‘Consensual’ Sex Between Police and Detainees, by Christopher Zoukis
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Announces ‘Finality’ Under Sentence Enhancement Provision for Out-of-State Convictions Governed by Texas Law, by Dale Chappell
- Durham, North Carolina, Opts Out of Military-Style Training for Police, by Christopher Zoukis
- Seventh Circuit Affirms Suppression of Evidence Because Traffic Stop Unreasonably Prolonged, by Christopher Zoukis
- Montana Supreme Court Holds Failure to Instruct Jury on State’s Burden of Proof is Plain Error, by Dale Chappell
- Utah Supreme Court: Procedural Due Process Violated Where Failure to Participate in Sex Offender Treatment Program Used to Deny Parole to Prisoner Not Convicted of Sex Offense, by David Reutter
- Eleventh Circuit Holds Florida Drug Trafficking Statute Indivisible and Overbroad for Removal Under Immigration and Nationality Act, by Dale Chappell
- Biased Facial Recognition Systems Are Coming to a Law Enforcement Agency Near You, by Christopher Zoukis
- Washington Supreme Court: Nexus Between Property Searched and Probation Violation Required for Warrantless Search of Probationer’s Property, by Dale Chappell
- Missouri High Court Holds Checkbox-Style Search Warrant Constitutes an Unconstitutional General Warrant, by Dale Chappell
- $1 Million Paid by NYC to Settle False Arrest Claim
- Government Eyes Are Watching You: We Are All Prisoners of the Surveillance State, by John W. Whitehead
- Kansas Supreme Court: Judge’s ‘Thwarting’ of Defendant’s Right to Self-Representation was Structural Error Requiring Reversal of Convictions, by Dale Chappell
- New Jersey Supreme Court: Substantive Error to Amend Indictment to Change Degree of Felony on Eve of Trial, by Matthew Clarke
- Seattle to Toss Old Pot Convictions
- Missouri Supreme Court Clarifies No Resisting Arrest Charge Once Arrest is Completed, by Dale Chappell
- Fifth Circuit Grants § 2255 Petition Challenging Failure to Register Conviction for Ineffective Assistance of Counsel, by Christopher Zoukis
- FBI Data Reveal ‘War on Cops’ is Nonexistent, by Dale Chappell
- South Carolina Supreme Court Clarifies When Court Can Deny Right to Self-Representation; Orders New Trial, by Dale Chappell
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court Vacates Intellectually Disabled Prisoner’s Death Sentence, by Christopher Zoukis
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court Announces New Rule to Allow IAC Claims for Fine-Only Sentences, by Dale Chappell
- Ninth Circuit: Younger Abstention Not Appropriate in Habeas Case Challenging Lack of Constitutionally Sufficient Bail Hearing, by Christopher Zoukis
- Delaware Supreme Court Reverses Criminally Negligent Homicide Because Conduct was ‘Too Remote’ from Cause of Death, by Dale Chappell
- Is FBI Using Classified Tools for Everyday Investigations?, by Christopher Zoukis
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- State Attorney in Vermont Won’t Prosecute Misdemeanor Opioid Treatment Drug Cases, by Betty Nelander
- News in Brief
- Ninth Circuit Rules Weekends in Jail Count as Time ‘In Prison’, by Dale Chappell
- The Long, Dark History of Law Enforcement’s Warrantless Bus Searches, by Steve Horn
- Louisiana Supreme Court: Jury May Not Speculate on Guilt When Evidence Is Lacking, by Dale Chappell
- Risk Assessment Software: Biased and No Better Than Human Behavior Prediction, by Christopher Zoukis
- Daily Caller Investigation Lays Opiate Crisis at Feet of DEA, by Derek Gilna
- SCOTUS: Warrantless Invasion of Curtilage to Conduct Search Unconstitutional, by Richard Resch
- Dial T for Tyranny: While America Feuds, the Police State Shifts Into High Gear, by John W. Whitehead
- Non-Unanimous Jury Verdicts Give Prosecutors ‘Awesome Power’ and Have Racist Roots, by Dale Chappell
More from Dale Chappell:
- Federal Habeas Corpus for State Prisoners: Proving Unreasonableness Under AEDPA, Feb. 1, 2025
- Federal Court Rules Michigan’s Sex Offender Registration Laws Violate Constitution, Dec. 1, 2024
- Refuting the Government’s Argument Against Nonretroactive Changes in Law as Grounds for Compassionate Release, Oct. 1, 2024
- Federal Habeas Corpus: Getting Around Procedural Default, July 15, 2024
- The Death of the Savings Clause, May 15, 2024
- Federal Habeas Corpus: Understanding Second or Successive Petitions for State Prisoners, April 15, 2024
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates Relief From Death Penalty, Citing State’s Forfeiture of Argument Against Relief, May 15, 2023
- Federal Habeas Corpus: The Evidentiary Hearing for Federal Prisoners, April 15, 2023
- Federal Habeas Corpus: How to Raise a Fourth Amendment Claim, Feb. 15, 2023
- Will Overturning Roe v. Wade Kill the Right to Abortion Under BOP Policy?, Jan. 1, 2023
More from these topics:
- Surveilling the Harms of Electronic Monitors, Feb. 1, 2025. Racial Discrimination, Electronic Monitoring, Breathalyzer Tests.
- California Court of Appeal: Statistical Evidence Showing Racial Disparity Combined With Evidence Showing Non-Minority Defendants Charged With Lesser Crimes Establishes Prima Facie Case Under California Racial Justice Act, June 15, 2024. Racial Discrimination, Racial Profiling, Charging Decisions, Disparity in Charging/Sentencing Practices.
- U.N. Panel Finds Rampant Racism in U.S. Criminal Justice System, June 1, 2024. Racial Discrimination, Commentary/Reviews, Crime/Demographics, Criminal Prosecution, Statistics/Trends.
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- $125,000 Settlement for Wisconsin Prisoner’s Claim That Guards Set Him Up For Stabbing, May 1, 2024. Guard Misconduct, Racial Discrimination, Retaliation for Media Contact, Retaliatory Segregation, Prison Gangs, Failure to Protect (General).
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- Sentencing Project Finds “Important Inroads” Against Mass Incarceration, Racial Inequality Behind Bars, April 1, 2024. Racial Discrimination, Statistics/Trends.
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