ALAMEDA, Calif. — In a sweeping rebuke of racially discriminatory practices, the California Superior Court of Alameda County on Feb. 9 vacated Franklin Lynch’s death sentence and conviction, finding violations of the state’s Racial Justice Act and ordering a new trial.
The ruling concluded that Assistant District Attorney James Anderson engaged in racially biased conduct during Lynch’s trial, with the court determining the actions violated California’s Racial Justice Act (CRJA).
The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) reports that Lynch’s attorneys argued ADA Anderson’s “racial bias pervaded [Lynch’s] trial.”…