Supreme Court Justices Seem Incredulous At Repeated Racial Bias In Jury Selection

The U.S. Supreme Court signaled strongly on Wednesday that it is likely to rule for a death row inmate in Mississippi who was prosecuted six times for the same crime by a prosecutor with a history of racial bias in jury selection.

The arguments, more passionate and fact-filled than usual, also had a surprise ending when Justice Clarence Thomas posed a question — the first time in three years.

Though his colleagues focused mainly on the prosecutor's exclusion of African-American jurors, Thomas asked whether the defense had struck any white jurors. Yes, three in the sixth trial, said defense lawyer Sheri Johnson. But when it came to black jurors, there were none left to strike.