Lawyers for former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal argued in an appeals court Thursday that racism by a judge and prosecutors corrupted the 1982 trial at which he was condemned for killing a white police officer.Abu-Jamal, 53, once a radio reporter, has attracted a legion of artists and activists to his cause in a quarter-century on death row, and hundreds protested outside the courthouse.
Their chants could sometimes be heard inside, where a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit explored defense claims of racial bias and flawed jury instructions.
"If there's one thread that runs through this case, it's racism," Abu-Jamal's attorney, Robert R. Bryan, said afterward.
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