PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Slightly more than a month after the US Supreme Court ruled Oregon’s non-unanimous jury verdicts were unconstitutional, 16 cases were returned to Oregon trial courts.
The orders by the Oregon Supreme Court do not necessarily mean each of those defendants will get a new trial. That decision is up to the district attorneys in each jurisdiction.
The Department of Justice gave the Oregon appellate courts a list of 269 cases pending on appeal in which the US Supreme Court’s decision would apply.
Oregon advocates hail SCOTUS unanimous-jury ruling
The state’s high court will also hear arguments August 18 in five other cases to handle issues the US Supreme Court did not address.
Additionally, the Oregon Court of Appeals reversed decisions in three cases related to the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the conviction of Evangelisto Ramos. He is serving a life sentence in Louisiana for killing a woman after a jury voted 10-2 to convict him in 2016.
Both the Oregon Supreme Court and the Oregon Court of Appeals continue to look at cases connected with the decision. No timeline is set for a determination on the full list of cases that might be affected.