Donnie Ray Pearson, Petitioner v. Eric Guerrero, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division

Donnie Ray Pearson asked the Supreme Court to review whether a juror in his trial should have been treated as biased after she disclosed that she had been molested as a child and said only that she thought she could be fair. Pearson says his lawyer was ineffective for not removing her, but the Fifth Circuit rejected that claim.

No oral argument is scheduled because the case is still at the petition stage. Pearson says the juror's note showed implied bias, while the Fifth Circuit said counsel was not ineffective because the juror was not impliedly biased.

The case could shape when trial lawyers must remove jurors whose personal experiences closely match the alleged crime. For example, it matters when a defendant argues that a juror who lived through similar abuse should not have helped decide the verdict.

The Court is being asked whether a juror with the same victim history can be treated as biased without clear assurances of fairness. Pearson also says his lawyer failed by not trying to remove her.

The case could affect when defense lawyers must strike jurors whose personal experiences closely match the alleged crime. It also affects victims asked to serve on juries.

The justices must first decide whether to grant certiorari (hear the case). No argument is scheduled yet, and no decision window is available.