Thomas Blasts 7-2 Supreme Court Murder Ruling as Help for Convicted Killer

3 articles · Updated · ms.now · Jun 1

Justice Clarence Thomas said the court wrongly stepped in for Florida death row inmate Gary Whitton, calling the Eleventh Circuit’s error an “inconsequential foot fault” that should not have triggered Supreme Court relief.
The 7-2 court had vacated the lower ruling because it weighed DNA evidence developed after trial when assessing whether false jailhouse-informant testimony affected Whitton’s 1992 murder conviction and death sentence.
Thomas, joined by Justice Samuel Alito, argued the court often denies review to “law-abiding Americans” even when lower courts disregard precedent, citing disputes involving student speech and other civil claims.
He also said the ruling should have no practical effect, sketching how the appeals court could again reject Whitton by reissuing nearly the same opinion without the DNA references.

Why must courts ignore crucial DNA evidence to determine if a death row inmate received a fair trial?

Is the Supreme Court prioritizing a legal 'technicality' over overwhelming evidence of guilt in a murder case?