William Andrews v. United States

Case 11139, Report No. 57/96, Inter-Am. Comm'n H.R., OEA/Ser.L/V/II.95 Doc. 7 rev. at 570 (1997)

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William Andrews v. United States

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Case 11139, Report No. 57/96, Inter-Am. Comm'n H.R., OEA/Ser.L/V/II.95 Doc. 7 rev. at 570 (1997)

  • Written by Liz Nakamura, JD

Facts

William Andrews (plaintiff), a Black man, was sentenced to death in Utah. The jury for Andrews’s trial was composed entirely of white men, many of whom were members of a Mormon Church that viewed Black people as inferior to white people. During a trial recess, the jurors were found in possession of a napkin containing a drawing of a Black man hanging from the gallows and the words “hang the [racial slur].” Andrews requested a mistrial and the right to conduct an evidentiary hearing to determine which jurors saw, and were influenced by, the napkin. The trial judge refused to issue a mistrial and refused to conduct an evidentiary hearing. Instead, the judge simply admonished the jurors to ignore the napkin. Shortly before Andrews’s execution date, a petition was brought on his behalf before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), arguing that the United States (defendant) violated Andrews’s rights under the American Declaration to (1) life; (2) equal treatment under the law; and (3) a fair and impartial hearing. Andrews was executed two days after the IACHR petition was filed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning ()

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