Raleigh, N.C., Aug 26, 2019 / 18:25 pm
The Supreme Court of North Carolina is set to hear the case of six death row inmates who say a repealed state law should still allow them to be resentenced to life without parole, since they were able to successfully demonstrate that racial bias was a factor in their death sentences.
The court is scheduled to hear arguments Monday and Tuesday in the cases of four death row inmates who briefly were resentenced to life without parole when state legislators approved the Racial Justice Act in 2009, the AP reports.
Under the Racial Justice Act, four inmates had used statistics to prove that their race was a "significant factor" in their trials, thus leading to a judge converting their sentences to life without parole.
Legislators repealed the Act in 2013, and the four inmates were sent back to death row without a new hearing.