ACS Oregon: Ramos Applied in Oregon: Ending Racist Non-Unanimous Jury Verdicts in Oregon

In December 2022 the decision in Watkins v. Ackley, the Oregon Supreme Court invalidated hundreds of felony convictions obtained under a 1934 law designed to exclude people of color from meaningful participation in the justice system by allowing nonunanimous jury verdicts. The December 30th decision in Watkins v. Ackley retroactively applies the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling in Ramos v. Louisiana, which held that the Sixth Amendment requires unanimous jury verdicts in felony cases. Join the ACS Oregon Lawyer Chapter as we host Professor Aliza Kaplan for a happy hour to discuss the implications of this momentous decision and the continuing work to reform the criminal legal system in Oregon.

Featuring:

Aliza Kaplan, Professor of Lawyering, Lewis & Clark Law School; Director, Criminal Justice Reform Clinic

Ryan O'Connor, Partner, O'Connor Weber LLC

1 hour of Oregon MCLE credit pending