Entries tagged with “Clarence Thomas”
Jun 01, 2026
Supreme Court Roundup: Decisions Allow Jury Discrimination Claim to Proceed and Keep Protections for Intellectually Disabled in Place
In recent weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court issued decisions regarding two key types of claims that often appear in capital cases: prosecutorial misconduct and intellectual disability. A bipartisan group of conservative and liberal justices carried each decision. The Court ruled in favor of Mississippi prisoner Terry Pitchford, allowing his jury discrimination claim to proceed, as well as Florida prisoner Gary Whitton, based on a lower court error in weighing his claim that prosecutors presented…
Women
,Jan 22, 2025
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Only Woman on Oklahoma Death Row, Confirming Admission of Prejudicial, Gendered Evidence Can Violate Due Process Rights
At Brenda Andrew’s 2004 trial in Oklahoma for the murder of her husband, the prosecutor called witnesses to testify about her “provocative” clothing and her previous sexual relationships, and questioned “whether a good mother would dress or behave” the way she had. Jurors heard Ms. Andrew called a “hoochie” and a “slut puppy.” In his closing argument, the prosecutor opened a suitcase and showed the jury Ms. Andrew’s underwear, asking, “The grieving widow packs this in her appropriate act of…