Supreme court sides with Mississippi man on death row in racial bias case
The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Terry Pitchford, a Black man on death row in Mississippi, citing racial bias in his jury selection. The court's 5-4 decision highlighted the exclusion of four out of five Black jurors during his trial. This ruling revives a federal judge's earlier decision that invalidated Pitchford's conviction due to inadequate legal representation regarding the racial discrimination in jury selection.
- ▪Terry Pitchford was convicted of capital murder at the age of 18 and sentenced to death.
- ▪The Supreme Court found that state prosecutors had removed four Black jurors from Pitchford's trial.
- ▪Justice Brett Kavanaugh noted that the trial court did not allow Pitchford's counsel to adequately challenge the prosecutor's reasons for striking jurors.
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US supreme court justices sided with Pitchford in a 5-4 decision. Photograph: Will Oliver/EPAView image in fullscreenUS supreme court justices sided with Pitchford in a 5-4 decision. Photograph: Will Oliver/EPAMississippiSupreme court sides with Mississippi man on death row in racial bias caseTerry Pitchford, who was 18 when convicted of murder, argued that Black jurors were excluded from his trial Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Adria R WalkerThu 28 May 2026 12.18 EDTFirst published on Thu 28 May 2026 11.38 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThe US supreme court on Thursday ruled in favor of Terry Pitchford, a Black man convicted of capital murder and on death row in Mississippi, who claimed that his conviction was due to the jury having racial bias.The justices sided…
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