Washington (CNN) The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a death row inmate on Monday who argued his constitutional rights were violated when his lawyer told the jury he was guilty, even though the inmate wanted to proclaim his innocence.

The ruling means the inmate Robert McCoy will get a new trial.

Writing for a 6-3 majority, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that a lawyer "may not admit her client's guilt of a charged crime over the client's intransigent objection to that admission."

Ginsburg said McCoy's lawyer, Larry English, was in a difficult position as he sought a lesser conviction of second-degree murder in order to save his client from the death penalty. But even though McCoy was an "unruly client" and "faced a strong government case," English's proposed strategy to admit guilt "was incompatible with the Sixth Amendment."

The issue dates back to 2008 and the murder of Christine and Willie Young and Gregory Colston, the mother, stepfather and son of McCoy's estranged wife. McCoy was appointed counsel from the public defender's office, and he maintained his innocence. Before trial, McCoy sought to fire his assigned counsel and his parents hired English in March 2010. English concluded that the evidence against his client was overwhelming and that the only thing that could clear him of a death sentence would be a concession of guilt for second-degree murder. McCoy sought to fire him and told him not to make the concession. The trial court refused to relieve English of his duties.

Read More