Supreme court guts lifeline for prisoners who claim wrongful convictions

In 6 to 3 ruling, the decision eviscerates the supreme court’s own precedent in a move that the three liberal justices called ‘illogical’ and ‘perverse’. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The US supreme court on Monday gutted constitutional protections that for years have provided a federal lifeline to innocent prisoners facing prolonged incarceration or even execution following wrongful convictions stemming from poor legal counsel given to them by the states.

In a 6 to 3 ruling, the newly-dominant rightwing majority of the nation’s highest court barred federal courts from hearing new evidence that was not previously presented in a state court as a result of the defendant’s ineffective legal representation.