A federal appeals court ruled Alabama prosecutors violated the constitutional rights of a man sentenced to death in 1990, saying Blacks were rejected from the jury during his trial.
The Monday ruling from a three judge panel on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals means Michael Sockwell, 62, is eligible for a retrial. He was convicted of killing former Montgomery County Sheriff Isaiah Harris in 1988 when he was 26-years old.
The panel issued a 2-1 opinion stating Alabama prosecutors violated Sockwell’s 14th Amendment rights by “repeatedly and purposefully” rejecting potential Black jurors who were believed to be more sympathetic to him on the basis of their shared race.
Sentenced but not yet executed.