Supreme Court sides with Mississippi death row inmate who alleged racial bias in jury selection

Supreme CourtSupreme Court sides with Mississippi death row inmate who alleged racial bias in jury selectionThe court’s decision means Terry Pitchford’s conviction is thrown out after prosecutors excluded several Black jurors at his trial.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Roberto Schmidt / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 28, 2026, 11:19 AM EDTBy Lawrence HurleyWASHINGTON — In a case that raised questions about racial bias in the criminal justice system, the Supreme Court on Thursday threw out the murder conviction of a Black death row inmate in Mississippi who objected when a prosecutor sought to exclude potential jury members who were Black.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The 5-4 ruling marks a victory for Terry Pitchford, who was 18 at the time of the crime. He was convicted of the killing of grocery store owner Reuben Britt during a robbery in 2004. Pitchford’s accomplice, Eric Bullin, fired the fatal shots but was not eligible for the death penalty because he was under 18. Bullin later pleaded guilty to manslaughter for his role in the murder.The decision revives a federal judge’s ruling that invalidated the conviction on the grounds that Pitchford’s lawyer was not given an opportunity to pursue a line of questioning that jury selection was unlawfully based on race.At trial, there was just one Black juror on the 12-member panel in a county that is 40% Black, Pitchford’s lawyers said.FORSUBSCRIBERSWriting for the majority, conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that a defense lawyer “must at least have an opportunity to argue that the asserted race-neutral reasons were not the actual reasons.”In Pitchford’s case, “whether due to confusion, oversight, an overly hurried jury selection process, or some other cause, things broke down,” he added.Prosecutors could seek to try Pitchford again.During jury selection, when prosecutors and defense lawyers can "strike" certain...