Emergency application
Race in jury selection
John Q. Hamm, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections v. Michael Sockwell
What did the Court do?
The Court denied the request on October 8, 2025: the lower court's ruling stays in effect while the appeal continues.
Emergency rulings are temporary and do not decide the underlying case.
What's being asked
Alabama corrections commissioner John Q. Hamm asks the Supreme Court to pause the Eleventh Circuit's order while Alabama seeks Supreme Court review. Michael Sockwell was sentenced to death for murder and challenged his conviction. The Eleventh Circuit found Alabama unfairly excluded potential jurors, violating Sockwell's right to equal treatment. It directed the Middle District of Alabama to order Sockwell released unless Alabama retries him; Hamm says the appeals court was wrong.
What the Court did
The Court refused Alabama's request for a temporary pause (denied the stay), but said Alabama may apply again if a new trial is imminent. It wiped out Justice Thomas's earlier order (vacated it); the Court did not publish how the justices voted. The denial does not decide the underlying case.
What it means
This emergency ruling decides only whether to pause the order; it does not decide who wins the underlying case. The Eleventh Circuit's order directs the Middle District of Alabama to order Sockwell released unless Alabama retries him. No related merits case is listed, and the Court set no argument.
Sources
Facts on this page come from the Supreme Court docket, orders, and opinions for No. 25A347. The answers restate that record in plain words; explainer copy is written from the record and the filings only.