Supreme Court to hear death row inmate’s challenge of racial bias in jury selection
Teh U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of death row inmate Terry Pitchford, who challenges the dismissal of four Black jurors during his trial, alleging racial bias. The Court will consider whether the Mississippi Supreme Court unreasonably ruled that Pitchford waived his right to contest the prosecutor’s actions.Pitchford was convicted for a 2004 murder during a failed robbery and has argued that the exclusion of Black jurors was improper. A federal district court had previously sided with Pitchford,but a federal appeals court reversed that decision. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments between February and April 2026, with a decision by June 2026. This case was the only one the Court chose to hear in a recent orders list, declining other petitions including a notable marijuana legalization case challenging federal prohibition. The Court’s next term begins in January 2026, with oral arguments running through April and rulings expected by June.
Supreme Court to hear death row inmate’s challenge of racial bias in jury selection
The Supreme Court announced on Monday it will take up a death row inmate’s challenge over allegations that the dismissal of four black jurors during his trial was unlawful, adding to the justices’ caseload for the current term.
The high court said it will hear arguments in Pitchford v. Cain later this term, limited to the question of whether the Mississippi Supreme Court “unreasonably determined” that death row inmate Terry Pitchford waived his right to contest the prosecutor’s dismissal of four black jurors for race-neutral reasons. Pitchford was convicted by a jury to death for his role in the 2004 killing of the owner of a grocery store during a botched robbery. He has challenged that conviction based on the circumstances of how the group of black jurors was dismissed.
A federal district court sided with Pitchford, finding that the state court improperly tossed Pitchford’s challenge to the prosecutor’s dismissal of the jurors. A federal appeals court reversed the lower court’s ruling, leading Pitchford to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The high court is expected to hear arguments in the case sometime between February and April 2026, with a ruling as late as the end of June 2026.
In the high court’s orders list on Monday, Pitchford v. Cain was the only case the justices opted to take up for arguments, while denying dozens of petitions for review. One of the most notable cases the Supreme Court declined to hear was Canna Provisions v. Bondi, which challenged the constitutionality of the federal prohibition of marijuana.
While marijuana use and possession remain unlawful under federal law, several states have legalized the drug, with the Canna Provisions case asking the high court to strike down the federal prohibition and rule the law is unconstitutional because it goes beyond Congress’s ability to regulate interstate commerce.
The rejected petition comes as the Trump administration has reportedly eyed an executive order to reschedule marijuana, a move that could significantly reduce federal restrictions on the drug. In recent years, marijuana has become legal for recreational use in 24 states, while it is legal for medical use in 40 states.
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Monday’s orders list marks the final scheduled list for 2025, following the justices’ final closed-door conference of the year last Friday. The Supreme Court is expected to return to town on Jan. 9 for its first closed-door conference of 2026, with the next arguments scheduled Jan. 12, 2026.
The Supreme Court’s term is expected to continue with oral arguments through the end of April 2026 and with decisions through the end of June 2026.
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