Former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal's Appeal Rejected by Supreme Court

By Javier Lavagnino, Esq. on April 06, 2009 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

The Supreme Court has refused to hear the case of former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal (aka Wesley Cook) who was convicted and sentenced to death in the 1981 killing of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Via order today, the court declined to take on Abu-Jamal's plea for a new trial in the racially-charged case that, as the AP noted, became a focus for civil rights activists.

A federal court of appeals had previously invalidated Abu-Jamal's death sentence on the grounds that the jury in the case was not instructed properly. The government has appealed that ruling and today's order does not address the sentence. Below are some links and background in the case.

Copied to clipboard