Terry Pitchford, the Supreme Court, and the Jury That Should Have Looked Different

Terry Pitchford has been on Mississippi's death row for 20 years. He was convicted by a jury of 11 white jurors and 1 Black juror. The prosecutor who tried his case — Doug Evans — had a documented history of dismissing Black jurors. The same prosecutor. The same judge. The same pattern the Supreme Court already overturned in 2019 in the case of Curtis Flowers. This week the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 for Terry Pitchford. Kavanaugh wrote the majority. Roberts and the three liberal justices joined him. Gorsuch, Alito, Barrett, and Thomas dissented. He is not free. Mississippi can still retry him. But the Supreme Court said what happened to him was wrong. And it said so by one vote. Today we talk about what the court ruled, what it means, and why the jury box and the voting booth are the same fight in two different rooms. Let's have this conversation.00:00 — Disclaimer01:01 — Introduction02:34 — Thesis: The jury box and the voting booth are the same issue — who gets to participate in decisions that affect Black communities — and both just came before the Supreme Court in the same month04:06 — Opening: 20 years on death row, 11 white jurors and 1 Black juror, the same prosecutor the Supreme Court rebuked in 2019 — and a 5 to 4 ruling that says it was wrong06:20 — Background: Batson v. Kentucky, Curtis Flowers, Doug Evans, Judge Joseph Loper, and how the same pattern produced two different Black men on Mississippi's death row09:37 — The Data: The Batson framework, the Callais ruling, and why the standard of proving intentional discrimination is the same impossible bar in the jury box and the redistricting map13:33 — Personal Thoughts: 5 to 4. One vote. The same four justices who gutted the Voting Rights Act would have let this conviction stand. That is not a coincidence — it is a pattern.16:37 — Close: Know Terry Pitchford's name. Know Curtis Flowers's name. Know that Doug Evans spent a career stacking juries and the system allowed it for decades. The fight over the jury box and the map is the same fight.Miami Times Online — miamitimesonline.comSCOTUSblog — scotusblog.comBatson v. Kentucky — supremecourt.govDemocracy Docket — democracydocket.comFollow the show wherever you get your podcasts.Goodpods Podcast🏆 #2 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Monthly chart🏆 #2 Podcast of the Month — Personal Journals🏆 #6 in the Top 100 Personal Journals Weekly chart🏆 #7 in the Top 100 Cult Monthly chart🏆 #8 in the Top 100 Business News Monthly chart🏆 #9 in the Top 100 Cult Weekly chart