USA - California. The U.S. Supreme Court has reinstated the death penalty for Scott Pinholster, 51, white

The U.S. Supreme Court has reinstated the death penalty for Scott Pinholster, 51, white. The high court today overturned a Dec. 9, 2009 (see) appeals court decision to throw out the death penalty because of bad legal representation. Pinholster was convicted in 1984 of killing 2 men (Robert Beckett and Thomas Johnson) during a burglary in 1982. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Pinholster's lawyer was ineffective because he failed to present to a Los Angeles County jury evidence of mental illness during the penalty phase of his murder trial. The high court, in a decision written by Justice Clarence Thomas, overturned that ruling. (see also May 2, 2008).