Lockerby, Hickerson, Varon and Lee Write Amicus Brief on Behalf of The Rutherford Institute in Ramos v State of Louisiana
Partners Michael Lockerby, David Hickerson, Jay Varon and associate Heather Lee filed an amicus brief on behalf of The Rutherford Institute in the case Ramos v State of Louisiana. The brief urges the U.S. Supreme Court to make the requirement of a unanimous jury in criminal cases uniform throughout the United States. The brief asserts that the Sixth Amendment requires unanimous jury verdicts at the federal level, and that judicial standard should apply at the state level as well. The case arose after a Louisiana man, Evangelisto Ramos, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison based on circumstantial evidence that failed to convince two of his 12 jurors that he was guilty. At the time, Louisiana and Oregon were the only states that allowed non-unanimous verdicts in criminal cases.
Read the amicus curiae brief http:here.