Supreme Court rejects appeal from longtime Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed

CBS News
March 23, 2026
3 min read

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Supreme Court rejected death row inmate Rodney Reed's appeal, allowing his federal court ruling to stand and removing a major legal barrier to execution.

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The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from death row inmate Rodney Reed, allowing a federal appeals court ruling against him to stand. The New Orleans-based Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals had previously rejected Reed's challenge, and the Supreme Court's refusal to hear his case marks the second time in less than three years that higher courts have sided against him. Reed's case has drawn national attention from death penalty opponents and advocates who have questioned evidence underlying his conviction. The decision effectively removes a major legal barrier that had delayed his execution. Reed was convicted in the 1996 death of Stacey Stites in Texas, though his legal team has argued key evidence was withheld during his trial.

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