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| SCOTUS rules against death sentence given by all-white jury to black man | SCOTUS rules against death sentence given by all-white jury to black man |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The US Supreme Court has ruled that Georgia prosecutors in a case nearly 30 years ago acted unconstitutionally when it excluded all potential black jurors from the death penalty trial of Timothy Foster, an African American man. | The US Supreme Court has ruled that Georgia prosecutors in a case nearly 30 years ago acted unconstitutionally when it excluded all potential black jurors from the death penalty trial of Timothy Foster, an African American man. |
| In a 7-1 verdict, the high court reversed the ruling in Foster's case, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing that notes made by prosecutors during jury selection show clear discrimination. | In a 7-1 verdict, the high court reversed the ruling in Foster's case, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing that notes made by prosecutors during jury selection show clear discrimination. |
| "The focus on race in the prosecution's file plainly demonstrates a concerted effort to keep black prospective jurors off the jury," Roberts wrote. | "The focus on race in the prosecution's file plainly demonstrates a concerted effort to keep black prospective jurors off the jury," Roberts wrote. |
| The prosecution notes came to light via an open-records request 19 years after Foster's trial. Names of potential black jurors were highlighted in green on juror questionnaires, with the word "black" circled. Additional notations labeled black jurors, such as "B#1" and "B#2." A prosecution note labeled "definite NO's" included the last five potential black jurors with their own rankings, in case "it comes down to having to pick one of the black jurors." | The prosecution notes came to light via an open-records request 19 years after Foster's trial. Names of potential black jurors were highlighted in green on juror questionnaires, with the word "black" circled. Additional notations labeled black jurors, such as "B#1" and "B#2." A prosecution note labeled "definite NO's" included the last five potential black jurors with their own rankings, in case "it comes down to having to pick one of the black jurors." |
| In 1986, Foster, then 18-years old, murdered a retired school teacher during a burglary in Rome, Georgia. He later confessed to the crime, during which Foster beat and strangled Queen White, 79, to death. He also confessed to molesting White with a salad dressing bottle. In 1987, he was convicted of capital murder by an all-white jury that sentenced him to death. | |
| The prosecution team was led by then-Floyd County District Attorney Steve Lanier. In Foster v. Chatman, Foster's attorneys argued that Lanier's team intentionally purged potential black jurors, in violation of a 1986 US Supreme Court ruling in the case Batson v. Kentucky that said removing a potential juror because of race was unconstitutional. | The prosecution team was led by then-Floyd County District Attorney Steve Lanier. In Foster v. Chatman, Foster's attorneys argued that Lanier's team intentionally purged potential black jurors, in violation of a 1986 US Supreme Court ruling in the case Batson v. Kentucky that said removing a potential juror because of race was unconstitutional. |
| Foster's claims were rejected by a trial court and the Georgia Supreme Court. Foster's appeal reached the US Supreme Court in November 2015. | Foster's claims were rejected by a trial court and the Georgia Supreme Court. Foster's appeal reached the US Supreme Court in November 2015. |