Convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal could soon see his death sentence reinstated now that the U.S. Supreme Court has vacated the decision that overturned it and ordered a federal appeals court in Philadelphia to reconsider whether the jury instructions in Abu-Jamal’s trial were confusing.

Without comment, the justices ordered the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to study Abu-Jamal’s case again in light of the high court’s ruling last week in an Ohio case, Smith v. Spisak .