It’s almost unbelievable that for 243 years, the Sixth Amendment right to a unanimous jury was not upheld for state defendants. Or perhaps we should say, it’s unbelievable if one is unfamiliar with our highly problematic justice system that frequently fails to uphold the Constitution and preserve individual liberty.

It’s indisputable that the U.S. justice system is overrun with outcomes that are racially biased. While some of these results are the ramifications of subliminal prejudices, larger economic inputs, or just bad ideas, others are directly related to flat-out racist intentions. Such is the case with the practice of nonunanimous jury requirements in two states recently overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.