A federal panel has dismissed an appeal from a Georgia death row inmate who claims he was wrongly convicted of the 1989 murder of a Savannah police officer.

A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta ruled that Troy Anthony Davis should appeal directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Davis' attorneys want to challenge a ruling by a federal judge in August who said evidence presented by his defense attorneys wasn't strong enough to prove he's innocent. The ruling came after the Supreme Court in 2009 gave him an extraordinary hearing to put his innocence claims to the test.

Davis has spent nearly 20 years on death row after he was convicted in 1991 of the slaying, and he has long claimed he could clear his name if a court gave him a chance to hear it.

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Online:

http://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/ops/201014534.pdf

Tags: U.S. Supreme Court, 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, Troy Davis, 1989 Murder