A North Carolina judge ruled that racial bias tainted the jury selection in Hasson Bacote's capital trial, potentially paving the way for other death row inmates to seek resentencing. Bacote, a Black man, was sentenced to death in 2009 by a predominantly white jury for his involvement in a felony murder. His case was the first to test the scope of the 2009 Racial Justice Act, which allows condemned inmates to challenge their sentences if racial bias influenced their trials.
Superior Court Judge Wayland Sermons Jr. determined that Bacote provided sufficient evidence of discrimination. "What we saw in Mr. Bacote's case is that the more we look for evidence of discrimination in our state's capital jury selection system, the more we find," said Cassandra Stubbs, director of the ACLU's Capital Punishment Project. Stubbs emphasized that this ruling opens doors for over 100 death row inmates with similar claims.
In December, before the ruling, Governor Roy Cooper commuted Bacote's death sentence to life without parole, along with 14 other death row inmates. Cooper explained that no single factor influenced his decision, but considerations included the race of defendants and victims, as well as jury composition. "When my death sentence was commuted, I felt enormous relief that the burden of the death penalty — and all of the stress and anxiety that go with it — were lifted off my shoulders," Bacote said. He thanked the court for acknowledging how racial bias impacted his case.
Bacote's attorneys argued that Johnston County prosecutors disproportionately excluded Black jurors, removing them at three times the rate of white jurors. Ashley Burrell of the Legal Defense Fund highlighted how the prosecutor referred to Bacote as a "thug" during closing arguments, reinforcing harmful stereotypes. State prosecutors questioned the statistical evidence but failed to convince the court.
Nazneen Ahmed, spokesperson for Attorney General Jeff Jackson, confirmed the state's intent to appeal. The Racial Justice Act was repealed in 2013, but those who initially filed claims, like Bacote, could still pursue them. Despite North Carolina's halt on executions since 2006, this decision reignites conversations about race and justice in the state's legal system.
Link: NBC News