Supreme Court Will Hear Appeal of Black Death Row Inmate Over Racial Bias in Mississippi Jury Makeup

December 18, 2025

The Supreme Court will review the case of Terry Pitchford, a Black death row inmate from Mississippi whose murder conviction involves Doug Evans, a former prosecutor known for systematically excluding Black jurors from trials. A federal judge had initially overturned Pitchford's conviction, citing the trial judge's failure to adequately address jury discrimination concerns, but an appeals court later reinstated it. Evans was the same prosecutor involved in the Curtis Flowers case, where the Supreme Court found he made a "relentless, determined effort" to remove Black jurors, ultimately overturning that conviction in 2019.

Who is affected

Terry Pitchford (Black death row inmate appealing his murder conviction)
Former District Attorney Doug Evans (prosecutor whose jury selection practices are under scrutiny)
Curtis Flowers (previous defendant whose conviction was overturned due to Evans' discriminatory practices)
The family of Reuben Britt (victim of the 2004 killing)
Black potential jurors who were dismissed from the jury pool
U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills (issued the initial ruling overturning the conviction)

What action is being taken

The Supreme Court is hearing Terry Pitchford's appeal, with arguments scheduled for spring.

Why it matters

This case addresses ongoing racial discrimination in jury selection, a fundamental aspect of constitutional rights established in Batson v. Kentucky. The involvement of Doug Evans, who was previously found to have engaged in systematic exclusion of Black jurors, raises questions about whether discriminatory practices persist in the criminal justice system despite Supreme Court precedent. The outcome could strengthen or clarify protections against racial bias in jury composition, affecting the fairness of capital punishment cases and criminal trials more broadly.

What's next

The case will be argued before the Supreme Court in the spring, after which the Court will issue a ruling.

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint