The U.S. Supreme Court has made a significant ruling regarding Richard Glossip, a man on death row in Oklahoma, ordering a new trial after 26 years. In a decision that split the justices 5-3, the court reversed an Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruling, responding to calls for a new trial from both the state’s Republican attorney general and Glossip himself. Glossip, now 62, was convicted in the 1997 murder of Barry Van Treese, who owned the motel where Glossip worked.
The Supreme Court's opinion, penned by Justice Sonia Sotomayor and supported by other liberal justices as well as conservative justices Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts, underscored a pivotal issue: the prosecution’s failure to rectify false testimony presented during the trial. Justice Sotomayor emphasized, “We conclude that the prosecution violated its constitutional obligation to correct false testimony.”
Glossip has maintained his innocence throughout his time on death row. The original conviction stemmed from the testimony of his co-worker, Justin Sneed, who claimed that Glossip had orchestrated the murder. However, new developments highlighted that Sneed had a serious psychiatric condition that the prosecution neglected to disclose.
Since his initial conviction in 1998 was overturned in 2001, Glossip faced nine execution dates, having endured the surreal experience of being offered his "last meal" three times. His latest brush with execution occurred in 2015 when his execution was halted shortly before the scheduled time to reassess the lethal injection drugs.
This latest ruling from the Supreme Court is a pivotal chapter in Glossip’s long fight for justice, with notable public figures such as Pope Francis, Kim Kardashian, and Sir Richard Branson previously advocating for his release. The case continues to resonate within debates surrounding the death penalty and the integrity of the judicial process in the United States.
