Supreme Court Reopens Mississippi Death Penalty Case Over Racial Bias

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled in favor of Terry Pitchford, a Black Mississippi inmate on death row, finding that his conviction likely stemmed from racial bias in jury selection when prosecutors struck four Black jurors. The ruling revives a lower-court finding that Pitchford’s attorney was blocked from pursuing a Batson challenge, potentially paving the way for retrial or resentencing.