• Richard Glossip, a death row inmate, is appealing his conviction, alleging withheld evidence.
• Oklahoma's Attorney General, Gentner Drummond, supports Glossip's appeal, citing concealed evidence.
• The Supreme Court appointed an outside lawyer, Christopher Michel, to argue for upholding Glossip's conviction.
• The Supreme Court's decision, expected by June end, could impact the handling of defendants' rights in death penalty cases.

The U.S. Supreme Court is gearing up to hear arguments in the case of Richard Glossip, a 61-year-old Oklahoma death row inmate. Convicted for a 1997 murder-for-hire plot, Glossip now seeks to overturn his conviction, alleging that prosecutors withheld crucial evidence that could have aided his defense.

Glossip was found guilty of masterminding the murder of Barry Van Treese, the owner of the Best Budget Inn motel in Oklahoma City, where Glossip was employed as a manager. The murder was executed by Justin Sneed, a maintenance worker at the motel, who confessed to beating Van Treese to death with a baseball bat.

Sneed managed to evade capital punishment by accepting a plea deal, which involved testifying that Glossip had paid him $10,000 to commit the murder. The linchpin of Glossip's conviction rested on Sneed's testimony. Sneed, a methamphetamine addict, was the key witness in the case, and the reliability of his account was paramount to the prosecution's case.

Glossip, however, has consistently maintained his innocence. He admitted to helping Sneed cover up the murder after it occurred but denied any prior knowledge of Sneed's plan to kill Van Treese or any involvement in encouraging him to do so.

Glossip's Unlikely Ally

In an unexpected twist, Oklahoma's Republican Attorney General, Gentner Drummond, has emerged as an unlikely ally for Glossip. Drummond concluded that the prosecutors had concealed evidence that could have led to Glossip's acquittal. While Drummond believes that Glossip's role in covering up Van Treese's murder makes him at least an accessory after the fact, warranting a long prison sentence, he also believes that Glossip's murder conviction was too flawed to defend.

Glossip's appeal is being represented by former U.S. Solicitor General Seth Waxman, while Paul Clement, another former U.S. solicitor general, is representing the Oklahoma attorney general's office in the case. Because Oklahoma's attorney general is supporting Glossip's appeal, the Supreme Court had to take the unusual step of appointing an outside lawyer, private attorney Christopher Michel, to argue that Glossip's conviction should be upheld.

Michel, in his Supreme Court brief, sought to counter the claim by Glossip's lawyers that the newly disclosed information had undermined Sneed's credibility or the prosecution's handling of the case. Michel also argued that the justices should defer to the Oklahoma court's ruling to uphold Glossip's conviction based on that state's law that places limits on post-conviction legal efforts.

Awaiting the Supreme Court's Decision

The family of the victim, represented by former federal judge Paul Cassell, filed a brief with the Supreme Court stating, The truth here is that no evidence was suppressed and Glossip commissioned the murder of Barry Van Treese. The Supreme Court last year halted Glossip's scheduled execution while his appeal was pending. The justices are expected to issue their ruling by the end of June.

This case has drawn significant attention, with some lauding the moral courage of Republican office holders like Drummond, who are willing to do the right thing, regardless of the consequences. Drummond, a decorated war veteran, has a history of making tough decisions.

During the U.S.-led Persian Gulf War against Iraq in 1991, Drummond, then a Captain flying an F-15 Eagle, disobeyed three direct orders to fire a missile at an aircraft identified as hostile. He insisted on personally confirming that the aircraft was an enemy before shooting it down, an action that earned him the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross for preventing the tragic loss of allied forces' lives.

Drummond has stated that he did not weigh any possible political risks for backing Glossip, such as being painted by opponents as soft on crime. If that means I'm never elected again, then I can go to my grave being satisfied that I did the right thing, Drummond said.