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Supreme Court Orders New Trial For Black Death
Row Inmate Convicted By All-White Jury
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In a 7-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court sided
with a Georgia death-row inmate appealing his
murder conviction, citing efforts by prosecutors
to exclude blacks from the jury panel. The U.S.
Supreme Court ruled today (Monday) that a black
Georgia man convicted of murder by an all-white
jury should have a new trial because the
prosecution deliberately excluded
African-Americans from the jury based on their
race. The court's decision reversed as "clearly
erroneous" an earlier ruling by the Georgia
Supreme Court. It has been nearly 30 years since
the U.S. Supreme Court set new rules to counter
race discrimination in the seating of juries. But
in some jurisdictions, the propensity to bar
nonwhite jurors persisted. Timothy Foster, a
black man was accused of killing an elderly white
woman. Foster was sentenced to die. He has been
on death row ever since, as a series of appeals
have made their way through the state and federal
court systems. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court
ruled there was ample evidence that the juror
strikes in Foster's trial not only resulted in an
all-white jury, but also showed clear evidence of
being racially motivated even though other
reasons were cited at the time.
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In Other News

• Baltimore police Officer Edward Nero has been
  found not guilty of all four misdemeanor charges
  he faced in connection with the arrest of Freddie
  Gray. Gray died on April 19, 2015, after
  suffering injuries while in police custody.
  Outside the courthouse, about a dozen protesters
  gathered. Once news of the verdict made its way
  through the crowd, they began chanting, "Indict,
  convict, send those killer cops to jail! The
  Rev. Westley West, a well-known activist in
  Baltimore, looked shocked. He was angry.
  "Baltimore should be upset," he said. "They
  should also let their voice be heard. Take to the
  streets. How much longer are we gonna lay down
  and let the same thing to keep happening? Nero
  was not charged directly with Gray's death.
• Police in Japan have arrested a man in connection
  with the stabbing of a pop star in Koganei City,
  western Tokyo. Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested
  Tomohiro Iwazaki, 27, after he allegedly attacked
  pop idol Mayu Tomita with a knife, stabbing her
  "several times." The attack occurred around 5
  p.m. on Saturday. Media reports suggest she was
  stabbed over 20 times. The Japan Times reported
  that the singer had earlier filed a complaint
  with Tokyo Metropolitan Police saying that a man
  named Iwazaki had been "persistently" sending her
  messages over social media. The performer was
  scheduled to give a live performance later that
  night where she was stabbed.