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Supreme Court Halts Execution of Texas Prisoner, Citing Racism

HeadlineFeb 23, 2017

The Supreme Court overturned the death sentence of a Texas prisoner Wednesday, after ruling his own defense team presented a jury with racist comments. Duane Buck was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend in 1996. At his trial, a state psychologist called by the defense testified that African-American criminals are more likely to pose a future danger to the public. Writing for the majority in a 6-2 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts ruled, “[The] testimony appealed to a powerful racial stereotype—that of black men as 'violence prone.'”

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