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Louisiana Supreme Court: People sent to jail by racist jury rule not owed new trials
Shreveport Times via Yahoo NewsThe Louisiana Supreme Court ruled Friday morning in the case of Reddick v. Louisiana denying some 1,500 people who are still in prison the right to a constitutional hearing.
"This decision will be remembered as a grave misstep in Louisiana history," the Promise of Justice Initiative said in a statement.
On May 10, 2022, the Louisiana Supreme Court heard arguments from the Promise of Justice Initiative and the Louisiana State Attorney General's Office in the case of Reddick v. Louisiana.
Reginald Reddick from Plaquemines Parish was convicted by a nonunanimous jury in 1997 after a 10-2 vote found him guilty of second-degree murder. He was then sentenced to life in prison.
"What we're looking at is, why were Louisianans deprived of their constitutional rights, black or white," said Jamila Johnson, Deputy Director of PJI and counsel for Reddick during the May hearing.
The Reddick case argued that more than 1,500 people who remain incarcerated due to nonunanimous jury verdicts should have access to a legal remedy.
These verdicts were nicknamed “Jim Crow Jury” convictions because of the role that they played in implicitly working to maintain white supremacy in Louisiana.
"This decision will be remembered as a grave misstep in Louisiana history," the Promise of Justice Initiative said in a statement.
On May 10, 2022, the Louisiana Supreme Court heard arguments from the Promise of Justice Initiative and the Louisiana State Attorney General's Office in the case of Reddick v. Louisiana.
Reginald Reddick from Plaquemines Parish was convicted by a nonunanimous jury in 1997 after a 10-2 vote found him guilty of second-degree murder. He was then sentenced to life in prison.
"What we're looking at is, why were Louisianans deprived of their constitutional rights, black or white," said Jamila Johnson, Deputy Director of PJI and counsel for Reddick during the May hearing.
The Reddick case argued that more than 1,500 people who remain incarcerated due to nonunanimous jury verdicts should have access to a legal remedy.
These verdicts were nicknamed “Jim Crow Jury” convictions because of the role that they played in implicitly working to maintain white supremacy in Louisiana.
The vote was 6-1 with the court's only Black justice, Piper Griffin of New Orleans, dissenting.
The ruling, written by Justice Scott Crichton, also noted that the court refused to act as a "super-legislature by issuing a broader retroactivity approach than that approved by the voters of Louisiana, who amended the Constitution with prospective effect only,"
"We expressly note that the Legislature may determine that a broader subset of individuals are eligible for post-conviction relief. Likewise, the Governor has the power in individual cases to grant clemency under our state Constitution," Crichton wrote.
The ruling, written by Justice Scott Crichton, also noted that the court refused to act as a "super-legislature by issuing a broader retroactivity approach than that approved by the voters of Louisiana, who amended the Constitution with prospective effect only,"
"We expressly note that the Legislature may determine that a broader subset of individuals are eligible for post-conviction relief. Likewise, the Governor has the power in individual cases to grant clemency under our state Constitution," Crichton wrote.
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