National Urban League Hails SCOTUS Decision on Non-Unanimous Juries

National Urban League Hails SCOTUS Decision on Non-Unanimous Juries as “A step out of the Jim Crow Past"

NEW YORK (April 20, 2020) -- National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial hailed today’s Supreme Court decision outlawing non-unanimous jury verdicts as a step out of the nation’s Jim Crow past.

“Non-unanimity rules were nothing more than naked white supremacism,” said Morial, who advocated for the constitutional amendment that outlawed the practice in Louisiana in 2018. Only Oregon continued to allow it.  “They were devised specifically to deny Black citizens a voice in the justice system. This decision was long overdue .”

While Louisiana has not allowed non-unanimous verdict since 2018, the case before the Supreme Court originated there, and the decision invalidated a defendant’s murder conviction. Morial called on Oregon and Louisiana to quickly identify any remaining convictions that are unconstitutional and invalidate them immediately.

“Equal justice under the law is one of the foundational pillars of our democracy,” Morial said. “We haven’t lived up to it, but this is a step toward a more perfect union.”