USA - California. The California Supreme Court overturned the death sentence of Steve Woodruff

The California Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Steve Woodruff (55, Black) for the January 13, 2001 murder of Riverside County police officer Charles Douglas Jacobs, and the attempted murder of Police Officer Benjamin Baker, but unanimously (7-0) voted to overturn his death sentence. The court ruled that the trial judge in 2002/2003 had improperly struck a prospective juror from service based upon his statement on the jury questionnaire that he was opposed to the death penalty, without having asked the juror whether he could set aside those beliefs and follow the law.