Trending Now - Alabama Death Row Inmate May Receive New Trial After 36 Years
WHO:
Michael Sockwell, 63, Alabama death row inmate
Isaiah Harris, Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputy, victim
Michael Rayfield, Sockwell's lawyer
Ellen Brooks, Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney
Alabama Attorney General's Office
Montgomery County District Attorney's Office
WHAT:
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a lower court ruling, allowing Sockwell to potentially receive a new trial.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that prosecutors violated Sockwell's rights by intentionally rejecting Black jurors.
Sockwell was convicted in 1990 of killing Isaiah Harris.
The jury that convicted Sockwell voted 7-5 to recommend life imprisonment, but a judge overrode this recommendation and sentenced him to death.
A federal judge ordered prosecutors to take steps by March 18, 2026, to pursue a new trial or release Sockwell from prison.
WHERE:
Alabama
Montgomery County
WHEN:
Sockwell has been on death row since 1990.
The shooting of Isaiah Harris occurred in 1988.
The appellate court ruling was issued in June 2025.
The Supreme Court's decision was made on March 2, 2026.
The federal judge's deadline for prosecutors is March 18, 2026.
WHY:
The Supreme Court's decision was based on the finding that Alabama prosecutors violated Sockwell's 14th Amendment rights by rejecting potential Black jurors believed to be more sympathetic to him.
HOW:
The appellate court's 2-1 opinion cited records of juror rejections by prosecutors as evidence of intentional discrimination.
In a significant development, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a lower court ruling that could allow Michael Sockwell, a 63-year-old death row inmate in Alabama, to receive a new trial for the 1990 murder of Montgomery County Sheriff's Deputy Isaiah Harris. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that prosecutors violated Sockwell's rights by intentionally rejecting Black jurors, which led to a federal judge ordering prosecutors to take action by March 18, 2026, either to pursue a new trial or release him. Sockwell has been on death row since 1990, despite a jury recommending life imprisonment, but a judge overrode that decision and sentenced him to death.