Louisiana
Louisiana Senate committee advances Jim Crow Jury conviction bill
Hear what Jackson has to say after being paroled from David Wade.
After 25 years in prison Brandon Jackson, 50, reunited with his mother, Mollie Peoples, close to David Wade Correctional Center on February 11, 2022.
Henrietta Wildsmith, Shreveport Times
- A Louisiana bill aims to provide legal recourse for individuals convicted by nonunanimous juries under Jim Crow laws.
- The bill, SB218, passed a Senate committee vote and will proceed to the full Senate.
- If passed, the bill would allow those convicted by non-unanimous juries to seek post-conviction relief and potentially a new trial.
A Louisiana bill could provide a new remedy to people incarcerated under Jim Crow Juries.
Three Democrats and two Republicans voted Tuesday in favor to advance Sen. Royce Duplessis’ bill (SB218) during a Louisiana State Senate committee meeting. This bill will provide a new remedy to people incarcerated under nonunanimous jury verdicts.
“Today, this Senate committee accepted their responsibility to right this wrong and move our state toward long-awaited justice for those convicted by Jim Crow juries,” said Hardell Ward, Promise of Justice Initiative’s director of Community Impact and former lead attorney for the Non-Unanimous Jury project at PJI.
PJI and other advocates have been working with families and loved ones of people incarcerated with nonunanimous jury convictions as well as individuals who were exonerated following such convictions since 2018.
In 2019, PJI took the case Ramos v. Louisiana to the United States Supreme Court, which ruled that nonunanimous jury verdicts violate the Sixth Amendment. However, the Louisiana Supreme Court subsequently refused to apply the Ramos decision for past convictions, initially denying about 1,500 people legal relief.
Duplessis’ bill will add a nonunanimous jury verdict to an existing list of grounds upon which an incarcerated person can file for post-conviction relief to receive the opportunity for a new trial.
SB218 will now move forward to full Senate consideration following its 5-1 vote in committee meeting.
“Louisiana lawmakers now have an opportunity to finally address this history and to recognize the right of every Louisianan to a fair process in the criminal legal system,” Samantha Kennedy, PJI executive director, said.
Makenzie Boucher is a reporter for The Shreveport Times. You can contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.