On Monday, March 23rd, the Supreme Court made a drastic move towards overturning the death sentence of Timothy Foster, a Georgia man who was convicted of murder in 1987. The Court released a review of the previous judgment, ruling that the state’s use of peremptory challenges to strike all four black prospective jurors qualified to serve on the jury for his capital murder trial was racially motivated. They also determined that the allegation that Foster failed to show purposeful discrimination was clearly erroneous. Chief Justice Roberts issued the 7-1 opinion, while Justice Thomas was the only Justice who filed a dissenting opinion. While Chief Justice Roberts’ opinion did not directly overturn Foster’s sentence or conviction, it did tell the Georgia Supreme Court to revisit its decision denying the convict relief.
If you or someone you know has been charged with murder, contact our office.
References:
http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/foster-v-humphrey/
http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2016/05/timothy-foster-supreme-court-ruling-223471
