In 1986, the Supreme Court barred prosecutors from striking jurors solely because of race. Bloomberg Creative/Getty Images

(AMHERST, MASS.) On April 30, 2026, Texas executed James Broadnax, a Black man who was sentenced to death for the robbery and murder of two men in 2008.

Before the jury was seated, the prosecutor moved to dismiss each of the seven Black people from the jury pool. Citing court documents, CNN noted that he “(utilized) a spreadsheet during jury selection that bolded only the names of every Black juror” and none of the white or Latino people. After defense objections, the judge reseated one Black juror, citing the otherwise all-white jury.

Originally published on theconversation.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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