2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 74
BY SENATORS CLAITOR, ALARIO, ALLAIN, APPEL, BARROW, BISHOP,
BOUDREAUX, CARTER, CHABERT, COLOMB, CORTEZ,
DONAHUE, ERDEY, FANNIN, GATTI, HENSGENS, HEWITT,
JOHNS, LAFLEUR, LAMBERT, LONG, LUNEAU, MARTINY,
MILKOVICH, MILLS, MIZELL, MORRELL, MORRISH, PEACOCK,
PETERSON, PRICE, RISER, GARY SMITH, JOHN SMITH, TARVER,
THOMPSON, WALSWORTH, WARD AND WHITE
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend The Advocate on being awarded a 2019 Pulitzer Prize for its series of articles
detailing the impact of Louisiana's unique provisions allowing juries to convict
defendants with less than an unanimous verdict.
WHEREAS, a free press is essential to democracy, it is right and just to recognize
and acknowledge superior reporting by the press; and
WHEREAS, The Advocate, the daily newspaper in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was
awarded its first Pulitzer Prize for its series of investigative reports on Louisiana's provisions
that allowed nonunanimous jury verdicts in certain criminal cases, which was one of the
many pieces that set the stage for the voters to amend the state constitution to require
unanimous verdicts in criminal cases; and
WHEREAS, Tilting the Scales, an award-winning five-part series by The Advocate,
debuted on Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018, nearly a month into the 2018 Regular Legislative
Session; and
WHEREAS, at the time the series was published, a bill by Senator J. P. Morrell, had
been filed that would allow Louisianians to repeal the nonunanimous verdicts provision in
the state constitution and to require unanimous verdicts in all criminal cases, on a
prospective basis; and
WHEREAS, in order to make the change, the legislation required approval by
two-thirds vote of both houses of the legislature, the signature of the governor, and a two-
thirds majority of the state's voters participating in a statewide election that was scheduled
seven months after the passage of the legislative instrument and this series was essential to
the approval of the voters, once the legislation had been placed on the ballot; and
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WHEREAS, The Advocate reporting brought to light the disturbing origins of the
provision and the continuing impact of Louisiana's unusual provision, rooted in the Jim
Crow era, that allow for criminal convictions when as many as two jurors vote to acquit; and
WHEREAS, the newspaper staff compiled extensive databases of jury trials around
Louisiana and the data revealed that black defendants were thirty percent more likely than
white defendants to be convicted in nonunanimous verdicts; and
WHEREAS, a second database compiled by the newspaper revealed that blacks were
substantially under-represented on juries and that black people who do serve as jurors are
much more likely to disagree with a verdict to convict than their white counterparts; and
WHEREAS, it is self-evident and long acknowledged that a jury is the last line of
defense against tyranny; and
WHEREAS, the issue was brought to the voters in October 2018 garnering
overwhelming support for the repeal, passing the constitutional amendment by a nearly
two-to-one margin, receiving more than nine hundred thousand votes and carrying sixty-one
of sixty-four parishes; and
WHEREAS, Senator Morrell credited The Advocate, stating, "investigative reporting
was essential in educating, not just my fellow legislators, but also the public" and,
continuing, "The reporting put names and faces to those affected … without it, it would have
been impossible to be successful"; and
WHEREAS, Tilting the Scales was also honored with a George E. Polk award,
another prestigious journalism award, and the editorial staff of The Advocate consisting of
editor, Peter Kovacs, Danny Heitman, and Lanny Keller were named 2019 Pulitzer finalists
in editorial writing for "persuasive editorials that prompted Louisiana voters to abolish a Jim
Crow-era law that undermined equal justice in the jury system"; and
WHEREAS, Gordon Russell, managing editor for investigations who oversaw the
production of this series written by Russell, Jeff Adelson, Jim Mustian, and John Simerman;
and
WHEREAS, Russell won his third Pulitzer honor as he was involved in the Times-
Picayune's Hurricane Katrina-related reporting which garnered two Pulitzer Prizes in 2006;
and
WHEREAS, The Advocate editor, Peter Kovacs, commented, "This is a tough time
to be a journalist but it's the best time ever to be a journalist at The Advocate because we
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have the best newsroom in Louisiana and the best owners in the land"; and
WHEREAS, The Advocate has been published for more that one hundred
seventy-five years; beginning in 1909, the paper was owned by Baton Rougean Charles P.
Manship Sr. and his descendants until 2013 when it was purchased by Louisiana
businessman John Georges and his wife Dathel; and
WHEREAS, despite long being an exceptional journalism source for the state,
especially regarding issues and events at the capitol, The Advocate was missing a Pulitzer
on its resume, but the timely and outstanding reporting by a large cast of journalists beyond
Russell, Adelson, Mustian, and Simerman; including cartoonist Walt Handelsman; Dan
Swenson; print and online graphics; Max Becherer, photos; Kyle Whitfield, Jeff Nowak, and
Orlando Flores, online presence for the reporting; and Jennifer Brown, Jay Martin, and
Tiffany Segura, copy editing and page design; brought an end to nonunanimous jury verdicts
in criminal cases in Louisiana and earned the 2019 Pulitzer Prize.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend The Advocate on being awarded a 2019 Pulitzer Prize for its series of articles
detailing the impact of Louisiana's unique provisions allowing juries to convict defendants
with less than a unanimous verdict, influencing the public opinion and legislators to end the
nonunanimous jury verdicts in criminal trials.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to John
Georges, owner and chief executive officer of Georges Media Group, which owns The
Advocate.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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