The Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence of an African-American man sentenced to die by an all-white jury in Georgia 29 years ago. Timothy Tyrone Foster was convicted of killing a white woman in 1986. Records revealed prosecutors marked the names of African-American jury candidates with a “B” and highlighted them in green, their race was circled on questionnaires, and all were placed on a list marked “Definite NOs.” In one case, an investigator hired by the prosecution wrote, “if it comes down to having to pick one of the black jurors, [this one] might be okay.” In striking down Timothy Tyrone Foster’s death sentence Monday, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts concluded, “The focus on race in the prosecution’s file plainly demonstrates a concerted effort to keep black prospective jurors off the jury.” Foster will likely face a retrial. The Supreme Court’s decision in Foster’s favor was seven to one, with the sole dissenting voice coming from the court’s only African-American justice, Clarence Thomas.
Supreme Court Sides with Black Man Sentenced to Death by All-White Jury
HeadlineMay 24, 2016