US EditionAppeals court rules Alabama violated constitutional rights of man sentenced to death
- On Monday, a federal appellate court in the 11th Circuit determined that prosecutors in Alabama infringed upon Michael Sockwell's 14th Amendment rights during his 1990 death penalty trial.
- The ruling followed an appeal arguing prosecutors discriminated by excluding 80% of eligible Black jurors compared to 20% of White jurors during jury selection.
- Sockwell was convicted in 1988 of killing Montgomery County Deputy Isaiah Harris in a murder-for-hire plot involving Harris' wife and was sentenced to death despite the jury's 7-5 life sentence recommendation.
- Judge Charles Wilson authored the 2-1 opinion citing prosecutors’ repeated and purposeful exclusion of Black jurors, while Judge Robert J. Luck dissented, disputing claims of racial discrimination.
- The court reversed the district ruling, granted Sockwell retrial eligibility, and underscored continued concerns about racial bias in jury selection and past judicial override of jury sentencing in Alabama.
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Appeals court rules Alabama violated constitutional rights of man sentenced to death
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Alabama prosecutors violated the constitutional rights of a man sentenced to death in 1990, saying Blacks were rejected from the jury during his trial. The Monday ruling from a three judge panel on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals means Michael Sockwell, 62, is eligible for a retrial. He was convicted of killing former Montgomery County Sheriff Isaiah Harris in 1988 when he was 26-years old.…
·Washington, United States
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Appeals Court Rules Alabama Violated Constitutional Rights of Man Sentenced to Death
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Alabama prosecutors violated the constitutional rights of a man sentenced to death in 1990, saying Blacks were rejected from the jury during his trial.
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources20
Leaning Left6Leaning Right2Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution53% Center
Bias Distribution
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53% Center
L 35%
C 53%
12%
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