Jeffrey Fisher, a Stanford Law School professor who represented Hemphill, hailed the ruling and said its impact was already felt by some members of the defense bar.

“We’re super excited to see the court hold that his right to a fair trial was violated, and that he presumably should get a new trial,” said Fisher, who directs Stanford’s Supreme Court litigation clinic.

“Already this morning I’ve gotten emails from public defender friends in various jurisdictions saying ‘this is so great, this is going to really help us’ — in places where I didn’t even know there were published decisions on this issue,” he said.