SCOTUS Orders New Hearing for Texas Death Row Inmate Duane Buck
2ND CHANCE
On claims that testimony about his race affected his sentence.
Courtesy Jenevieve Robbins/Texas Dept of Criminal Justice/Handout via Reuters
The Supreme Court has ordered a new court hearing for the case of Texas death-row inmate Duane Buck, who is black, over the claims that improper testimony about his race affected his sentencing. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented in the 6-2 vote. Buck was convicted in 1995 of killing his ex-girlfriend and another man. Buck's case was centered on the argument that his rights were violated when jurors heard testimony from a defense witness his own lawyers presented—that Buck was more likely to be dangerous because of the color of his skin.
