The revelation that Oregon’s district attorneys are proposing an end to non-unanimous jury convictions may have obscured the full scope of prosecutors’ intentions on changing the state constitution.
The Oregon District Attorneys Association is considering a ballot initiative that would also strip defendants of the right to waive a jury trial and ask for a bench trial, in which a judge, rather than jury, decides guilt or innocence.
“Oregon’s elected district attorneys are still discussing the specific content with various stakeholders,” ODAA executive director Tim Colahan said in a statement. “We are looking at Measure 302 in its entirety and believe each of the three components are worthy of a further discussion.”
On Wednesday, WW broke the news that ODAA prematurely revealed it would seek to scrap the language in the Oregon Constitution that allows defendants to be convicted with a 10-2 jury vote.
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