Plain-English summary
Court holds Ramos jury-unanimity rule not retroactive on federal collateral review
The Court decided that its new rule in Ramos v. Louisiana (requiring unanimous jury verdicts for serious crimes) does not apply retroactively to cases already final on direct review when raised in federal habeas proceedings. The Fifth Circuit judgment for the state was affirmed.
Why this matters
The decision limits how and when new Supreme Court rules change past convictions. People whose convictions became final before Ramos cannot get federal habeas relief based on the Ramos unanimity rule, so many convictions decided under nonunanimous juries remain final unless state courts or legislatures provide relief.
Who may feel it
- People convicted by nonunanimous juries before Ramos v. Louisiana (2019)
- Defendants seeking federal habeas relief based on new Supreme Court procedural rules
- State prosecutors and public defenders handling older convictions
- State legislatures and courts considering remedies for nonunanimous jury convictions
Key questions