Supreme Court Rejects Death Row Inmate's Appeal, Citing Jury Bias

The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to review the case of Lance Shockley, a Missouri death row inmate convicted of murdering a highway patrolman, despite concerns over juror bias stemming from a juror's graphic novel about revenge killings. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented, arguing that the refusal to hear the case poses significant due process implications and illustrates problems within the Eighth Circuit's standards for certificate of appealability. Shockley's conviction raised serious questions as a juror had shared a novel that mirrored the case's themes, influencing fellow jurors. Meanwhile, in a separate case, Justice Helen Ogunwumiju dissented in the death sentence of Sunday Jackson, arguing for his acquittal based on self-defense, which was not initially included in the court's publicly released judgment. Jackson's legal team uncovered this dissenting opinion after questioning the absence of a fifth judgment, highlighting procedural transparency issues. The contrasting outcomes reflect ongoing debates about fairness in the judicial system regarding capital cases.