8/31/23 News Update

COURTHOUSE RACISM <<Two public defenders filed lawsuits against Washington County on Tuesday alleging racial discrimination by deputies in the county courthouse and corrections center. The first case filed by Metropolitan Public Defender Chloé Clay — who is Black — alleges unlawful discrimination in place of public accommodation and seeks $375,000 in damages, as first reported …

1/1/23 News Update

JURIES <<Hundreds of felony convictions became invalid Friday after the Oregon Supreme Court struck down all nonunanimous jury verdicts reached before the practice was banned two years ago. The retroactive ruling applies to all split-jury convictions reached during the 86-year stretch when Oregon was one of only two states, alongside Louisiana, to allow such verdicts. …