Defendant's Conviction Overturned Because of Confederate Memorabilia in the Jury Room (Tennessee v. Gilbert)

In Tennessee v. Gilbert, the defendant appealed his conviction for aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and unlawful possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.  The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the defendant's conviction based on a violation of the hearsay rule and the jury room decor.  Here, the United Daughters of the Confederacy maintained the Giles County Courthouse to include the jury deliberation room.  As a result, the jury room included a number of mementos of the Confederacy which exposed jurors to extraneous prejudicial information and violated the African-American defendant's constitutional rights to a fair trial conducted by an impartial jury, due process, and equal protection under the law.