No. 19-6679October Term 2019Decided Apr 27, 2020Updated Sep 4, 2026
Johnson v. Louisiana
The Court declined review, leaving the Louisiana Fourth Circuit's result in place without deciding the jury-unanimity question.
Case status
Decided · April 27, 2020
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- What it's about
The Supreme Court granted Horatio Johnson’s petition, vacated the Louisiana court’s judgment upholding his conviction, and sent the case back for reconsideration in light of Ramos v. Louisiana, which held that the Sixth Amendment requires unanimous jury verdicts for serious criminal convictions. Johnson therefore prevailed in the Supreme Court, though the Court did not itself resolve the ultimate outcome of his case on remand.
Question presented
Whether the Sixth Amendment’s right to a jury trial—as incorporated against the States by the Fourteenth Amendment—requires a unanimous verdict to convict a defendant of a serious offense?
- Case path
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit / Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Decision
What the Court decided
The Court declined review, leaving the Louisiana Fourth Circuit's result in place without deciding the jury-unanimity question.
- Result
- Vacated
Impact
The Fourth Circuit's result remains in place for this case. Defendants in Louisiana raising challenges to serious-offense convictions based on nonunanimous verdicts were not given an answer by the Supreme Court in this docket action.
Not official Court text.
Briefing
What it's about
The Supreme Court declined to review Johnson's petition, which asked whether the Constitution requires unanimous jury verdicts for serious criminal convictions in state court. The Court did not decide that question on the merits.
Impact
The Fourth Circuit's result remains in place for this case. Defendants in Louisiana raising challenges to serious-offense convictions based on nonunanimous verdicts were not given an answer by the Supreme Court in this docket action.
What's next
The Supreme Court has finished this docket action. The lower-court result remains in place.
What did the Supreme Court do in Johnson v. Louisiana?
The Court declined to review the petition. It did not decide whether state jury verdicts for serious offenses must be unanimous.
Who is affected by Johnson v. Louisiana?
The immediate effect is on the parties in this Louisiana case. The Fourth Circuit's result remains in place for them.
What happens next in Johnson v. Louisiana?
The Supreme Court's docket action is complete. The lower-court result remains in effect.
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
Nov 13, 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