Louisiana Require Prosecutor Consent to Waive Jury Trial Amendment (April 2027)
| Louisiana Require Prosecutor Consent to Waive Jury Trial Amendment | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Criminal trials |
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| Status Proposed |
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| Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment |
Origin |
The Louisiana Require Prosecutor Consent to Waive Jury Trial Amendment may appear on the ballot in Louisiana as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on April 17, 2027.[1]
The constitutional amendment would require a prosecutor’s written consent before a defendant in a noncapital felony case could waive the right to a jury trial.[1]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text of the amendment is available here.
Path to the ballot
Amending the Louisiana Constitution
- See also: Amending the Louisiana Constitution
A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one session of the Louisiana State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 70 votes in the Louisiana House of Representatives and 26 votes in the Louisiana State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot. Amendments can be referred to the ballot in odd-numbered years and even-numbered years in Louisiana.
Senate Bill 97 (2026)
The following is the timeline of the constitutional amendment in the state legislature:[1]
- February 20, 2026: State Sen. Jay Morris (R-35) filed the constitutional amendment as Senate Bill 97 (SB 97).
- March 24, 2026: The Louisiana State Senate voted 26-11 to approve SB 97.
| Votes Required to Pass: 26 | |||
| Yes | No | NV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 26 | 11 | 2 |
| Total % | 66.7% | 28.2% | 5.1% |
| Democratic (D) | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Republican (R) | 26 | 1 | 1 |
See also
View other measures certified for the 2026 ballot across the U.S. and in Louisiana.
Explore Louisiana's ballot measure history, including constitutional amendments.
Understand how measures are placed on the ballot and the rules that apply.
External links
Footnotes
