In 48 States and federal court, a single juror’s vote to acquit is enough to prevent a conviction. But two States, Louisiana and Oregon, have longpunished people based on 10-to-2 verdicts. In this case, petitionerEvangelisto Ramos was convicted of a serious crime in a Louisianacourt by a 10-to-2 jury verdict. Instead of the mistrial he would have received almost anywhere else, Ramos was sentenced to life without parole. He contests his conviction by a nonunanimous jury as an un-constitutional denial of the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial. Held: The judgment is reversed.
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Future of Policing 