Philadelphia prosecutors had requested to re-impose a death sentence on Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther convicted of killing white Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner 30 years ago, but the Supreme Court rejected the request on Tuesday.

The ruling lets stand a 2008 appeals court decision that ordered a new sentence for Abu-Jamal after finding that the death penalty instructions given to the jury in his 1982 trial were improperly instructed.

Abu-Jamal has become known as one of the world’s “best known death-row inmates,” as his sentence has been one of the most debated.

Prosecutors could agree to a life sentence for the activist and former journalist, or they could try to sentence him to death again. City prosecutors plan to take some time before deciding their next move, District Attorney Seth Williams said in a statement to the Associated Press.

Stay tuned to BET.com for further updates once the hearing takes place.

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(Photo: Tim Shaffer / Reuters)