Lately, there has been a push in both Oregon and Louisiana, the only two states that don't require unanimous verdicts, to change their laws. Here are two news stories that examine the impact of non-unanimous verdicts in Louisiana. The first article discusses the experience of one juror who voted not guilty but nonetheless saw the defendant convicted because Louisiana allows for 10-2 guilty verdicts. The defendant in that case later had his conviction overturned. It was interesting to learn about the juror's personal experience during the trial and the reasons why he voted for acquittal. In the second article, Dan Claitor, a former prosecutor, who is now a Louisiana state senator explains how he used the 10-2 verdict to his advantage. According to state Sen. Claitor, he would overcharge defendants so that their case qualified for a 12-person jury rather than a 6-person jury where all 6 jurors would have to agree.
Theadvocate.com: Louisiana split juries have convicted several people wrongly, but not enough data to discern a trend
Theadvocate.com: Stephanie Grace: State Sen. Dan Claitor calls on own experience to push unanimous juries
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