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Supreme Court Seems Likely to Rule for a Black Death Row Inmate in Mississippi
Justices weighed whether prosecutors improperly struck 4 of 5 remaining Black jurors, echoing a prior Mississippi death row case overturned by the court.
- On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Terry Pitchford's appeal, a Black man sentenced to death in Mississippi, regarding whether racial bias influenced the jury selection that led to his conviction.
- Pitchford was sentenced to death for his role in a 2004 robbery and killing; prosecutor Doug Evans struck four of the five remaining Black potential jurors, and Judge Joseph Loper accepted these exclusions without analyzing potential racial motivations.
- Justices compared this case to Flowers v. Mississippi, overturned seven years ago; Justice Samuel Alito stated, "The judge didn't handle this the way it should have been handled."
- While the Supreme Court seemed likely to rule for Pitchford, the court could leave it to lower courts to determine if his conviction requires overturning, as defense lawyer Joseph Perkovich argues the record clearly favors his client.
- The hearing invokes Batson v. Kentucky, a ruling from 40 years ago prohibiting race-based jury strikes, as the Supreme Court evaluates whether trial judges must actively scrutinize prosecutors' justifications for excluding Black citizens from juries.
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Supreme Court Seems Likely to Rule for Black Death Row Inmate in Mississippi
The Supreme Courton Tuesday seemed likely to rule for Terry Pitchord, a Black death row inmate from Mississippiwho claims there was racial bias in the makeup of the jury that convicted him. The post Supreme Court Seems Likely to Rule for Black Death Row Inmate in Mississippi appeared first on Mississippi Free Press.
Associated Press News+7 Reposted by 7 other sources
Supreme Court seems likely to rule for a Black death row inmate in Mississippi
The Supreme Court seems likely to rule for a Black death row inmate from Mississippi who claims there was racial bias in the makeup of the jury that convicted him.
·United States
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Some familiar names to the Supreme Court in a death row case over racial bias in jury makeup
WASHINGTON — Certain names will be familiar to the Supreme Court in the latest case involving a Black death row inmate from Mississippi, with arguments set for Tuesday.
·Philadelphia, United States
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Total News Sources13
Leaning Left6Leaning Right0Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution55% Left
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources lean Left
55% Left
L 55%
C 45%
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