Current Events > Republican Supreme Court:Evidence of innocence not enough to overturn conviction

(+) Yeah! (+)

In 2018, a federal court overturned Jones conviction, concluding that he had failed to receive effective counsel, a violation of his Sixth Amendment rights. Had that happened, a federal judge ruled, there is a reasonable probability that his jury would not have convicted him of any of the crimes with which he was charged and previously convicted.

After losing in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Arizonas attorney general appealed the decision to the Supreme Court. During those oral arguments, state prosecutors repeatedly argued that innocence isnt enough of a reason to throw out Jones conviction.

On Monday morning, by a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court concurred: Barry Jones innocence is not enough to keep him off of death row. The state of Arizona can still kill Jones, even if there exists a preponderance of evidence that he committed no crime.

(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Courts conservative majority decided on Monday that people in state prison no longer have a broad constitutional right to present new evidence in federal court to support claims that they werent adequately represented at trial or on appeal.

The courts opinion effectively guts a final safeguard against prosecutorial and judicial error or misconduct. It will leave people who have been wrongfully convicted without a court to turn to for justice, and increases the likelihood that some innocent prisoners will be executed.

It seems kind of dangerous for the highest court in the land to effectively admit the judiciary and whole justice system is not beholden to any standard.

Well jeez you guys I'm starting to think that maybe using floating interpretations of hundreds of year old documents isn't the best basis for a government since all you need to do to undermine it is control the people who do the interpreting.

Clarence Thomas in particular has really been running his mouth off with stupid shit lately

That would be a problem for the present US government no matter what. The people who have power and money have decided what they want done, and they'll say or do whatever it takes to make it happen.Have you seen portions of the leaked Roe v. Wade draft? It's completely unhinged. Although he didn't say it directly, Clarence Thomas' answer to public outcry against the leaked draft was basically "we are the elite and we rule the way we want; you peasants must accept what we do because those are the rules". It's not a problem with the Constitution---it doesn't matter what the facts say or what legal scholarship says, they'll rule however they like and make up any justification for it.

3rd world country.

Holy shit I missed the part where the man is on death row. What the fuck? The pro-life party is going to leave an innocent man on death row because of a technicality?

It seems kind of dangerous for the highest court in the land to effectively admit the judiciary and whole justice system is not beholden to any standard.

Until there is a Republican affected by this, then watch them bend over backwards.