On March 20, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a particularly consequential death penalty case in which a Mississippi district attorney unconstitutionally removed African-American citizens from the jury pool. The prosecution did this repeatedly while trying an African-American man, Curtis Flowers, six times for the same crime. Flowers v. Mississippi, known to the public through the popular “In the Dark” podcast, is highly significant because it presents the opportunity for the U.S. Supreme Court to vindicate the long-recognized constitutional requirement that juries must be chosen without racial bias and reaffirm the nation’s commitment to impartial justice.

Fair jury selection resulting in a representative jury of a defendant’s peers lies at the foundation of the criminal justice system. It seems clear that did not happen in Flowers’ case, which is why, together with five other former law enforcement officials in the U.S. Department of Justice, I joined in submitting a brief supporting the enforcement of race-neutral jury selection in his case.