ATLANTA — A Georgia inmate whose execution was halted at the 11th-hour after his lawyers argued racism played a "pivotal role in his death sentence" is now waiting to see if the U.S. Supreme Court will take up his case.Keith Leroy Tharpe, known as "Bo," was set to be put to death at 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday, but the hour came and went as the justices considered his request to stop the execution. Just after 10:30 p.m. EDT, the court announced the temporary stay.Tharpe, 59, was convicted of murder and two counts of kidnapping in the September 1990 slaying of his sister-in-law, Jacquelyn Freeman.In interviews with Tharpe's legal team years later, a white juror in the case freely used the N-word and said his study of the Bible had led him to question "if black people even have souls," according to court filings."In my experience I have observed that there are two types of black people: 1. Black folks and 2. (N-words)," juror Barney Gattie told Tharpe's legal team, according to a sworn statement he signed in 1998.Freeman came from a family of "good black folks," and Tharpe didn't fit into that category, so he should be executed for his crime, Gattie said.When questioned by state lawyers, Gattie said he had been drinking when he talked to Tharpe's legal team.