Summary Of The Timothy Foster Case

In 1987 an African-American male, Timothy Foster, was convicted of murdering a Caucasian female in Georgia and was sentenced to death (Vogue 2016). The prisoner’s appeal process worked its way up to the United States Supreme Court, arguing that he was convicted because of racial prejudice (Vogue 2016). Notes obtained from the prosecutors of the case revealed that they did not select certain jurors because they were black and that the jury was all white (Vogue 2016). The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Timothy, which was in accordance with the already established anti-discrimination precedents set by the 14th amendment and the 1986 Supreme Court decision in Batson v. Kentucky (Vogue 2016). This case is important for several reasons. The case shows that there is in fact racial discrimination in the American Criminal Justice system and that the system itself has honestly admitted that it is flawed. It illustrates that the system still needs to be scrutinized when it comes to convicting people of color and that America still does not treat everyone equally as its laws claim. This decision will produce several more appeals by individuals who feel that they may have been convicted based upon their skin color and may lead to several convictions

While it is plausible that an African-American male was wrongfully discriminated against, one cannot accurately render a decision without knowing all the facts of the case. It seems that the jury was rigged by the prosecution and that anti-discrimination laws were violated. However, the story does not include any of the evidence used to convict Timothy of the murder. There could be DNA evidence, lack of an alibi, and eye witness testimony that specifically link him to the crime. This story may be the age old ploy of the media using attention grabbing headlines and stories that perpetuate the rampant stereotypes in U.S.