Charles E. Coughlin v. United States
HabeasCorpus JusticiabilityDoctri
Whether the court of appeals erred in denying petitioner's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel
QUESTION(S) PRESENTED 1. Whether the court of appeals erred in denying petitioner’s claim of ineffective assistance of counsel holding "appellant has not made a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right" despite evidence indicating medical expert witnesses were the lynchpin of counsel's defense strategy. 2. Whether the district court made an unreasonable determination of fact within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. § 2255 Rules 4 and 7 resolving disputed issues of fact based solely on the government’s , affidavit without an evidentiary hearing. 3. Whether the district court abused its discretion condoning as a strategic decision trial counsel not calling medical expert witnesses when it appears on the face of the record and multiple documents “outside the files and records of the case,” that counsel made no strategic decision at all. { AO