Defense lawyers saw in the decision a far greater potential of reversing recent convictions.

Last November, after 16 months, a state appeals court reversed his conviction.

The judge said the evidence was not persuasive enough to reverse convictions that were more than a decade old.

This month, the appeals court reversed her conviction and ordered a new trial.

The Supreme Court reversed his conviction in a 5-4 vote.

On May 8, the appellate judges agreed and reversed his conviction.

A12 Germany's top court reverses a politician's conviction for racism.

Other states, however, had already begun reversing convictions on entrapment grounds.

They said the Court would continue to reverse convictions based mainly on coerced confessions.

On 5 June 1961 the Court reversed his conviction.