State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Donald Loftin, Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the trial judge erred by failing to remove a juror who expressed prejudicial, racially charged comments and by not conducting a voir dire of the remaining jurors to ensure impartiality, constituting ineffective assistance of counsel; the conviction and death sentence were vacated and the case was remanded for a new trial. Justice Rivera‑Soto dissented, arguing the majority’s conclusions were unsupported.