In a 7-0 decision described by some as a “monumental” step toward improving jury selection, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that a murder defendant denied a fair trial after a Black prospective juror was singled out for a background check should be retried.

In State v. Andujar, the justices upheld last year’s Appellate Division decision that overturned defendant Edwin Andujar’s conviction, asserting that a prosecutor cannot unilaterally run a criminal background check on a juror without judicial approval.