Pitchford v. Cain
Coverage of Pitchford v. Cain in the Nexus archive.
- The state of the death penalty at the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of three death row inmates, overturning lower court decisions in Whitton v. Dixon, Pitchford v. Cain, and Hamm v. Smith. The rulings highlighted issues with DNA evidence handling, jury selection, and assessing intellectual disability, while states increased executions in 2025, with 47 people put to death. The Court has denied all 2026 execution delay requests but did not halt any executions.
- Jury duty for a justice
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor attended jury duty in D.C. Superior Court but was not required to serve, later having lunch with judges. The Supreme Court released opinions in four cases, including decisions on federal sentencing guidelines, death penalty procedures, and the Federal Arbitration Act.
- 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.