Justices Won’t Weigh Whether Inmate Death Upends Court Decision

The Supreme Court refused to consider whether a lower court ruling that allowed a death row inmate’s lawsuit alleging California violated his right to counsel must be vacated since he’s no longer alive.

The case denied on Monday centers on a would-be class action alleging the California Supreme Court flouted a state law by failing to timely appoint counsel for capital inmates in post-conviction proceedings.

A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit allowed the suit to move forward, however Stephen Moreland Redd died of natural causes in prison as the court considered a petition ...