No. 19-569

Carlos Manuel Ayestas v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division

Lower Court: Fifth Circuit
Docketed: 2019-10-30
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Experienced Counsel
Tags: capital-case capital-case-mitigation-evidence ineffective-assistance mental-health mitigation-evidence mitigation-investigation professional-norms rompilla-v-beard sixth-amendment strickland-v-washington substance-abuse wiggins-v-smith
Key Terms:
HabeasCorpus Punishment
Latest Conference: 2020-02-21
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether 'prevailing professional norms' required counsel in a capital case to investigate potential mitigation evidence, including red flags for mental health and substance abuse, before this Court decided Wiggins v. Smith, 539 U.S. 510 (2003), Rompilla v. Beard, 545 U.S. 374 (2005), and Porter v. McCollum, 558 U.S. 30 (2009)

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTIONS PRESENTED This Court has found constitutionally deficient performance of counsel based on “prevailing professional norms” that precede the Court’s own decisions. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 688-89 (1984). The questions presented here are as follows: 1. Whether “prevailing professional norms” required counsel in a capital case to investigate potential mitigation evidence, including red flags for mental health and substance abuse, before this Court decided Wiggins v. Smith, 539 U.S. 510 (2003), Rompilla v. Beard, 545 U.S. 374 (2005), and Porter v. McCollum, 558 U.S. 30 (2009)—as the Third, Sixth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits have held, in conflict with the decision below. 2. Whether, under 18 U.S.C. § 3599(f), a reasonable attorney would regard the pursuit of services to investigate a capital defendant’s mental health as “sufficiently important,” Ayestas v. Davis, 138 S. Ct. 1080, 1093 (2018), where it is plausible that the failure to investigate that aspect of petitioner’s background on state postconviction review could, given substantial authority recognizing counsel’s duty to do so, excuse the procedural default of an ineffective assistance of trial counsel claim.

Docket Entries

2020-02-24
Petition DENIED.
2020-01-29
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 2/21/2020.
2020-01-28
Reply of petitioner Carlos Manuel Ayestas filed. (Distributed)
2020-01-13
Brief of respondent Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice (Institutional Division) in opposition filed.
2019-11-21
Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including January 13, 2020.
2019-11-19
Motion to extend the time to file a response from November 29, 2019 to January 13, 2020, submitted to The Clerk.
2019-10-29
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due November 29, 2019)

Attorneys

Carlos Manuel Ayestas
Meaghan Elizabeth McLaine VerGowO'Melveny & Myers LLP, Petitioner
Meaghan Elizabeth McLaine VerGowO'Melveny & Myers LLP, Petitioner
Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice (Institutional Division)
Kyle Douglas HawkinsTexas Attorney General's Office, Respondent
Kyle Douglas HawkinsTexas Attorney General's Office, Respondent