The Supremes surprised us yesterday by overturning the guilty verdict of a black man sentenced to death in Louisiana. The Court ruled that the lower court improperly excluded black jurors. It was surprising also because it was a 7-2 decision with the Chiefy John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito joining the usual liberal majority. Sammy wrote the opinion. Scalia and Thomas cast there usual vote against decency and fairness.
Jefferson Parish, La., where the trial took place, has a long history of controversy over the dismissal of black jurors. On appeal, lawyers for the defendant claimed that the prosecutor in the case eliminated all of the potential African-American jurors in preparation for inflaming the jury’s racial passions. Several times the prosecutor compared the case to O.J. Simpson’s. Snyder’s trial was in 1996, just after the Simpson case garnered global notoriety.
The State of . . . criminal justice. This is just one small victory for death penalty opponents, but a victory nonetheless. The defendant, Allen Snyder, is not off the hook. The court’s ruling only means he gets a new trial. What for? For hacking up the dude that slept with his wife.
Filed under: Law
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