Supreme Court rules for Black death row inmate over racial bias in makeup of jury
Summary
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of Terry Pitchford, a Black man on death row in Mississippi, who argued that racial bias influenced the selection of his jury. The court found issues related to the prosecutor's dismissal of Black jurors and how the trial judge handled complaints about this.Key Facts
- Terry Pitchford was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in Mississippi.
- Pitchford claims racial bias in his jury because the prosecutor dismissed several Black jurors.
- The prosecutor, Doug Evans, was previously involved in a case where the Supreme Court overturned a conviction due to jury racial bias.
- The Supreme Court ruled 40 years ago in Batson v. Kentucky that jurors cannot be excluded solely based on race.
- The main legal issue was whether Pitchford’s lawyers had enough opportunity to challenge the prosecutor’s actions.
- The case has lasted 20 years through various courts.
- In 2019, the Supreme Court overturned another Mississippi death sentence partly due to racial bias in jury selection.
- U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills initially overturned Pitchford’s conviction but it was later reversed by a federal appeals court.
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