Our Mission
...and Justice for ALL.
Last year, the Supreme Court acknowledged the racist origins of non-unanimous juries, and ruled the practice - only ever allowed in Oregon and Louisiana - unconstitutional. Even Attorney General Rosenblum has acknowledged the practice is linked to racism. Yet, despite the decision, hundreds of people convicted by non-unanimous juries remain in prison. Thousands more, also tried by non-unanimous juries and who have since completed their sentences, continue to bear the stigma of a conviction record - creating barriers to meaningful employment, stable housing, and even reunification with family.
Why? Because the Supreme Court decision only applied to people who had open appeals at the time of the ruling. The decision didn’t apply to people who had already gone through the appeals process, despite them having been convicted in the same unconstitutional way. This is an arbitrary matter of timing, not justice.
Ellen Rosenblum said this was an embarrassment...
Yet here we are having to DO THE RIGHT THING! Only because she cannot figure out that these individuals have constitutional rights like everyone in this country. She claims that the few hundred cases that have come forward so far would be a BURDEN on the court system. "A burden" on the system... that is such an obvious avoidance of the issue. She is supporting convictions obtained through racist and discriminatory jury practices, is this the kind of Attorney General Oregon wants or deserves. She says this would have a negative impact on the victims. The negative impact on the victims should be that the wrong person may have been convicted.
An INNOCENT person might be in PRISON!
...AND THE REAL CRIMINAL MAY STILL BE IN THE COMMUNITY.
In Louisiana, the District Attorney voluntarily started reviewing these cases, even prior to the SCOTUS ruling. In Louisiana, they recognized that the "burden" on the system was minor compared to the racist practice and violation of constitutional rights.
But not in Oregon............ Ellen Rosenblum either supports criminals getting away with crimes as long as someone is convicted. Or it was just lip service when she claimed the 10-2 jury rule was an "embarrassment", because if it was truly an embarrassment to our State then I'm sure our attorney general would do her job, right?
Seek Justice, do the right thing and fix it.
This can not be allowed to persist. We are better than that!
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This initiative will guarantee EVERY Oregon citizen gets a fair trial no matter the burden. This initiative provides Constitutional protections to everyone and not just to those lucky enough to still be on direct appeal.