On Monday, April 19, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case of Schriro v. Summerlin that will determine whether a prior decision applies only to some death row inmates in the first stage of their appeals or to all inmates in the affected states. In 2002, the Court held in Ring v. Arizona that juries, not judges, must decide who is eligible for the death penalty. The new ruling could affect over 100 death row inmates in at least 5 states. At the conclusion of Summerlin’s 1982 trial, Judge Philip Marquardt, who was later disbarred after admitting that he was addicted to marijuana, found the existence of two aggravating factors and sentenced Summerlin to death. This case will determine whether the benefits of Ring, upholding the Sixth Amendment’s requirement of jury fact-finding, apply only to defendants like Ring, who were in the first stage of their appeal, or apply equally to the larger group of inmates like Summerlin, whose cases are older. Summerlin had repeatedly raised the jury issue in his earlier appeals. See Supreme Court and DPIC’s Ring v. Arizona page.