Ramos v. Louisiana on Unanimous Juries

There is no question that the Sixth Amendment recognizes the right to “an impartial jury,” and little doubt that the Fourteenth Amendment incorporates this right against state governments. But does a jury need to be unanimous in order to convict? Louisiana believes that 10 out of 12 is sufficient for a conviction. Evangelisto Ramos—who was convicted by a nonunanimous jury of the stabbing death of Trenice Fedison in New Orleans—disagrees. In addition to the ramifications for criminal prosecution, the Ramos case places the role of precedent at the forefront to the Court’s deliberations.