Senate Bill 9 Summary

• Reforms the Racial Justice Act of 2009 to require defendants prove that decision makers acted with discriminatory purpose in seeking or imposing a death sentence, aligning with the U.S. Supreme Court's McCleskey v. Kemp standard.

• Eliminates the prior law's allowance of statistical evidence showing racial disparities in death sentencing patterns across counties, judicial divisions, or the state as a basis for proving discrimination.

• Requires evidence of discriminatory purpose from the State, jury selection, or individual jurors in the defendant's specific case rather than systemic racial patterns in capital sentencing.

• Nullifies all prior proceedings and hearings conducted under the original Article 101 provisions and prevents defendants from filing additional pleadings based on this reform.

• Applies retroactively to all capital trials and death sentences imposed before, on, or after the effective date of the law.