No. 18-9821October Term 2018Decided Apr 27, 2020Updated Sep 4, 2026
Heard v. Louisiana
The Court declined review, so it did not resolve the unanimity question in Heard v. Louisiana.
Case status
Decided · April 27, 2020
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- What it's about
This is a case originating from the Court of Appeal of Louisiana in which the Supreme Court has granted a petition for a writ of certiorari. The specific facts and legal issues are not detailed in the available procedural record.
Question presented
Whether the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial—as applied to the States through the Fourteenth Amendment—requires a unanimous jury verdict to convict a defendant of a serious offense?
- Case path
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit / Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Decision
What the Court decided
The Court declined review, so it did not resolve the unanimity question in Heard v. Louisiana.
Impact
The action left the Louisiana court's result in place. It mattered to defendants convicted of serious offenses by juries that were not unanimous.
Not official Court text.
Briefing
What it's about
The Court declined to review Heard's petition on April 27, 2020. It did not decide whether the Sixth Amendment requires unanimous jury verdicts for serious-offense convictions in state courts.
Impact
The action left the Louisiana court's result in place. It mattered to defendants convicted of serious offenses by juries that were not unanimous.
What's next
The Court has finished its action in this case. The Louisiana court's result remains in place without a Supreme Court decision on the merits.
What did the Supreme Court do in Heard v. Louisiana?
The Court declined to review the petition. It did not decide the constitutional question about unanimous jury verdicts.
Who was affected by the Court's action in Heard?
Heard and other Louisiana defendants facing serious-offense convictions were affected because the lower-court result remained in place.
What happens next in Heard v. Louisiana?
The Supreme Court's action is complete. The case remains resolved under the Louisiana court's result.
Timing
Decided April 27, 2020
The Court released its decision on April 27, 2020 without hearing oral argument.
Documents
Activity
Docket activity2
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
Sep 4, 2026 | Generated
Brief added: Petition
Jun 22, 2019 | Court records
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary materials plus reporting.
- Note
- Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Sep 4, 2026
- Method
- Methodology