The court made the ruling by citing racial discrimination in the trial of Mohammed Haroon Ali, who admitted to strangling his girlfriend, 20-year-old Tracey Biletnikoff, in 1999. Ali is currently serving a 55 years-to-life sentence.
The court says San Mateo County prosecutor Steve Wagstaffe was improperly motivated by race when he dismissed the only two black potential jurors from the jury. Jurors went on to convict Ali of first-degree murder rather than the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Wagstaffe denied race was a factor in jury selection. He says prosecutors are considering whether to appeal the ruling.
