The US Supreme Court Tuesday denied a black death row inmate’s appeal over claims his trial was tarnished by several jurors who stated their opposition of interracial relationships. Justices Sotomayor, Kagan and Jackson dissented.

Andre Lee Thomas was sentenced to death in 2005 for the murders of his wife, their son and her daughter from another relationship. Thomas is black, his wife was white and their son was biracial. Thomas was convicted and sentenced by an all-white jury. Three jury members expressed firm opposition to interracial relationships on their written juror questionnaires. One alternate juror shared similar prejudiced beliefs. One juror explained their opposition, saying that interracial relationships are against God’s will, and people “should stay with [their] bloodline.”

During jury selection, prosecutors and Thomas’ counsel failed to address these issues. The parties declined to question two of the three jurors about their bias and its potential effects on their deliberations. Despite having peremptory challenges, Thomas’ counsel made no effort to have the jurors removed.

In her written dissent, Justice Sotomayor said, “Thomas’ counsel fell far below an objective standard of reasonableness.” Sotomayor claimed that the “hostility” the jurors showed strongly suggests that the proceedings were tainted with racial bias. Sotomayor concluded that the errors made in Thomas’ case render the death sentence “unreliable” and “unconstitutional.”