Supreme court sides with Mississippi man on death row in racial bias case
Summary
The US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of Terry Pitchford, a Black man on death row in Mississippi, finding that racial bias affected his jury selection. The court said the trial judge did not properly check the prosecutor’s reasons for removing Black jurors.Key Facts
- Terry Pitchford, convicted of capital murder in Mississippi, argued his jury was racially biased.
- The jury had 11 white members and only one Black member after prosecutors removed most Black jurors.
- Prosecutor Doug Evans, who excused the Black jurors, had a history of discriminatory jury selection.
- The trial judge allowed the removal of Black jurors without thoroughly checking the reasons given.
- Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the majority opinion saying the trial court failed to ensure the prosecutor’s reasons were not a cover for discrimination.
- A Batson challenge is used to stop removing jurors based on race through a three-step process to prove bias.
- The Supreme Court showed concern that the trial judge did not properly apply the Batson challenge.
- The case is linked to past Mississippi cases involving similar issues with prosecutor Doug Evans and racial bias in jury selection.
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