WWLTV: La. only one of two states where unanimous jury not needed for conviction
“Our constitution requires there should be proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” Esman said. “If two people out of 12 are not convinced of somebody’s guilt, then by definition that is reasonable doubt.”
Orleans public defender Will Snowden said the ability to disregard the doubts of two jurors undermines justice.
“People are having their constitutional rights violated,” he said.
“Our constitution requires there should be proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” Esman said. “If two people out of 12 are not convinced of somebody’s guilt, then by definition that is reasonable doubt.”
Orleans public defender Will Snowden said the ability to disregard the doubts of two jurors undermines justice.
“People are having their constitutional rights violated,” he said.
Think504: Orleans Public Defender Launches Juror Project
"What if the most policed communities had more leverage in deciding the outcome of criminal cases? After three years of defending some of poorest people in New Orleans, the most incarcerated city on earth, local public defender Will Snowden launched the Juror Project; an initiative aimed to diversify jury panels in terms of race, thought, experience, socioeconomic background, and more."
"What if the most policed communities had more leverage in deciding the outcome of criminal cases? After three years of defending some of poorest people in New Orleans, the most incarcerated city on earth, local public defender Will Snowden launched the Juror Project; an initiative aimed to diversify jury panels in terms of race, thought, experience, socioeconomic background, and more. “We as a community should be involved with who we think should be sent to prison and a way to be involved is through jury service” says Snowden, “the studies show with more diversity there’s more fairness, there’s longer deliberation, more questions are going to be asked [and] things like implicit biases and racial anxiety are going to be addressed.” This project also comes in the midst of the Supreme Court considering tightening rules around racial discrimination in jury selection for the first time in 30 years."
Podcast: If You Can't Afford a Lawyer
"If you can’t afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to you – that’s how it’s supposed to work. But in New Orleans, Chief Public Defender Derwyn Bunton, the lawyer in charge of representing poor people accused of crimes, is saying no. His office doesn’t have enough money or time to do a good job, he says, so he’s refusing some serious cases, which is jamming up the courts and leaving hundreds of people stuck in jail with no lawyer. Bunton’s goal? To break the system in order to fix it."
"If you can’t afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to you – that’s how it’s supposed to work. But in New Orleans, Chief Public Defender Derwyn Bunton, the lawyer in charge of representing poor people accused of crimes, is saying no. His office doesn’t have enough money or time to do a good job, he says, so he’s refusing some serious cases, which is jamming up the courts and leaving hundreds of people stuck in jail with no lawyer. Bunton’s goal? To break the system in order to fix it."