Doug Evans
Coverage of Doug Evans in the Nexus archive.
- Supreme Court sides with death row inmate in challenge to racial discrimination in jury selection
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Pitchford v. Cain that a Mississippi trial judge improperly analyzed racial discrimination claims in jury selection, leading to the overturning of Terry Pitchford's conviction and death sentence. The case involved the prosecution's use of peremptory challenges to remove Black jurors, which violated the Batson v. Kentucky ruling against racially biased jury selection.
- Supreme Court rules for Black death row inmate from Mississippi over racial bias in makeup of jury
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of Black death row inmate Terry Pitchford from Mississippi, who claimed racial bias in his jury's composition. The decision addresses whether Pitchford's lawyers adequately objected to a trial judge's rulings and whether Mississippi's state Supreme Court reasonably upheld them, with historical ties to prosecutor Doug Evans' past discriminatory jury dismissals.