Court makes it easier for defendants in California to claim racial bias

NBC:

The Supreme Court made it easier Monday for California defendants to claim racial bias in jury selection, siding 8-1 with a black man who was convicted of killing his white girlfriend's baby.

Jay Shawn Johnson argued that prosecutors' dismissal of potential black jurors was unconstitutional. He was convicted by an all- white jury.

Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for the majority, ruled the California standard for showing jury bias was too strict. Justice Clarence Thomas dissented, saying a state has a right to craft its own rules.

The case is Johnson v. California, 04-6964.

The court also overturned the conviction of a black death row inmate who said Texas prosecutors unfairly stacked his jury with whites, issuing a harsh rebuke to the state that executes more people than any other.

The 6-3 ruling ordered a new trial for Thomas Miller-El, who challenged his conviction for the 1985 murder of a 25-year-old Dallas motel clerk. It was the second time justices reviewed the case after a lower court refused to reconsider Miller-El's claims.

Apparently, it is a very good day for black men who like to commit murder.