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Richard Glossip gets a new trial



Not only is Richard Glossip still alive, but he will receive a new trial, a new opportunity to establish the reasonableness of doubt about his guilt. 

A really ugly injustice has been done here already, by virtue of the very fact that such celebration is necessary.  But it is an ugliness that may avoid a final consummation now. 

Glossip is alive because the US Supreme Court, more than a year ago now, agreed to hear his case. You can enter his name in the search engine to this blog if you want to find a fuller explanation. Or, go to other sources of news if you believe that there are other sources.  

https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/02/supreme-court-grants-richard-glossip-new-trial-in-capital-case/    

In January 1997 (yes, more than 28 years ago, and days before the second inaugural of President Clinton) and man called Barry Van Treese beat Justin Sneed to death with a baseball bat. In order to avoid the death penalty, Sneed testified that Glossip instructed him to do this. 

Van Treese's sayso is virtually the whole of the prosecution case. Just about everybody who has looked into the matter believes that Van Treed was lying. Sneed's family members, and the Attorney General of the State of Oklahoma, are among the many who have drawn that conclusion. Yet that was enough to put Glossip on death row. 

The Supreme Court opinion was 5 to 3, with one Justice (Gorsuch) taking no part. Justice Sotomayor, portrayed above, wrote for the majority. 

Actually, the counting-of-heads is a little more complicated than that.  You could call it a 6 to 2 case, because Justice Barrett's opinion tries to split the difference. Justice Thomas' opinion, for himself and for Alito, is what you might expect it to be if you follow these things at all.  

I'll hold off on further explanation -- this should be included in my usual end-of-term review.  But for now, let us just take a moment of pleasure for such little victories as sanity can secure. 

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