Glossip v. Oklahoma, a highly watched case before the Supreme Court, isn't quite what its name suggests. Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip is pushing for a new trial, arguing the one that resulted in his murder conviction and death sentence was rife with errors. But Oklahoma is of the same opinion. The state says evidence shows Glossip didn't receive a fair trial when he was found complicit in the 1997 murder of his former boss, motel owner Barry Van Treese. There was no physical evidence linking Glossip to the murder. Prosecutors say Glossip, the motel's manager, was convicted on the testimony of the confessed killer, who lied on the stand, per ABC News.
Motel maintenance worker Justin Sneed, who received a life sentence in exchange for testifying, claimed Glossip had paid him $10,000 to bludgeon Van Treese to death. Sneed also denied that he'd been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was taking psychiatric medication. A prosecutor's notes show the state knew Sneed was lying, according to State Attorney General Gentner Drummond. Sneed later recanted his claims against Glossip, and Drummond requested that Glossip's conviction be tossed as "the state knew that this star witness had suffered a psychiatric condition and was prescribed a drug that would have an effect on his memory," per NPR. However, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled the request wasn't sufficient to halt Glossip's execution, per USA Today.
The US Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case on Wednesday. As Glossip and Oklahoma are on the same side, the court has appointed a volunteer attorney, Christopher Michel, to argue the opposing side, per NPR. Michel says that "when the state courts resolve claims on a purely state law ground," as in Oklahoma, "the [US] Supreme Court, as a matter of both jurisdiction and federalism, has no authority to review those claims." But "it would be remarkable to me for the Supreme Court to say where the state and the individual don't want execution it should go forward nonetheless," David Cole, the ACLU's legal director, tells ABC. A decision is expected early next year. (More Richard Glossip stories.)