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The Supreme Court has ordered a new hearing for death row inmate Troy Davis, which comes as a promising and unexpected twist in the hotly contested conviction of a potentially innocent man.  We have been following Davis’ case for a while here at TakePart, and hopefully this sudden turn of events could be the long-awaited opportunity to stop a wrongful execution.

Davis was convicted and sentenced to death in 1991 for the August 19, 1989 murder of off-duty Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail.  And while 7 of the 9 witnesses in the case have since recanted or provided contradictory testimony, and no murder weapon or physical evidence connecting Davis to the crime was ever found, he has been repeatedly denied a new trial by state and federal courts and Georgia officials have rejected calls for clemency. 

The outlook for Davis has looked grim and the battle for justice is far from over, but now the Supreme Court has ordered a federal judge in Georgia to determine whether there is evidence ”that could not have been obtained at the time of trial (that) clearly establishes petitioner’s innocence.”  Let’s hope that the judge heeds the call of justice as well as the voices of supporters from around the world, including former President Jimmy Carter, Pope Benedict XVI and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Desmond Tutu.  Use the action link below to join Amnesty International’s campaign to stop the execution of Troy Davis.