United States v. Tsarnaev

The Supreme Court is reviewing whether the First Circuit was wrong to throw out Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's death sentence because of how the trial judge questioned jurors about media coverage and because certain evidence about his older brother was excluded. The case stems from Tsarnaev's conviction for the Boston Marathon bombing and related crimes.

No oral argument has been scheduled yet. The justices are being asked whether the First Circuit wrongly vacated Tsarnaev's capital sentence over jury screening and excluded evidence.

The case could shape how judges handle jury selection in famous criminal cases and what evidence juries may hear before deciding on a death sentence. That affects defendants, victims' families, prosecutors, and trial judges in other high-profile federal cases.

Watch for oral argument or another scheduling move from the Court. No decision window is available yet.

The Court is weighing whether the First Circuit was right to vacate Tsarnaev's death sentence. The dispute centers on juror questioning about media coverage and excluded evidence about his older brother.

It could affect how courts pick juries in notorious cases with intense publicity. It also could shape what evidence juries hear in federal death-penalty sentencing.

The next milestone is oral argument or another scheduling move from the Supreme Court. The prompt says no decision window is available yet.