Washington, DC (April 20, 2022) – NACDL President MartÃn Sabelli issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s failure to hear the case of Kristopher Love v. Texas:
"On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case of Kristopher Love, a Black man convicted and sentenced to death in Texas by the vote of a juror who believes that ‘non-white races’ are statistically more violent than whites. Six of nine justices did not find that this expression of racial hatred sufficiently undermined the integrity of the verdict to merit their review. This human and social tragedy, and others like it, will continue to divide our nation until and unless we demand real diversity at every level in our state and federal courts. A diverse judiciary, with lived experience mirroring our communities, would and will appreciate the profound injustice of allowing a racially prejudiced juror to judge another. A house divided cannot stand and divided we are if our courts – despite the Bill of Rights, Equal Protection, and common decency – empower the naked racial prejudice of a juror whose authority derives from the court who administered the oath to him."
Contacts
Kate Holden, NACDL Public Affairs and Communications Associate, (202) 465-7624 or kholden@nacdl.org
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.
