No. 23-7590

Jamie Mills v. John Q. Hamm, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections

Lower Court: Eleventh Circuit
Docketed: 2024-05-29
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
IFP
Tags: brady-violation capital-punishment certificate-of-appealability due-process false-testimony habeas-corpus miller-el-standard plea-agreement prosecutorial-misconduct rule-60-motion
Key Terms:
Securities
Latest Conference: N/A
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Where reasonable jurists could debate whether a petitioner is entitled to Rule 60 relief where the State has concealed evidence

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTIONS PRESENTED (1) Where two judges on the lower court panel found that “no reasonable jurist could conclude that the district court abused its discretion” in denying relief under Rule 60 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, doc. 19, at 6-9, and one judge concurred in the result but found that Mr. Mills “has sufficiently alleged the denial of a constitutional right” and he “has met the threshold requirement to obtain a COA,” doc. 19-1, at 15, 18, does the denial of a COA conflict with this Court’s decision in Miller-El v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322, 336-38 (2003), requiring a COA to issue where “reasonable jurists could debate . . . the issues presented,” and recognizing that “a claim can be debatable even though every jurist of reason might agree ... that [the] petitioner will not prevail”? (2) Whether reasonable jurists could debate whether a petitioner is entitled to Rule 60 relief where the State has concealed evidence supporting Mr. Mills’ allegations of a plea agreement with its central witness for 17 years and evidence presented by both the petitioner and the State establish that the facts at issue were required to be disclosed and that the State had a duty to correct the false testimony at Mr. Mills’ capital trial? (3) | Whether reasonable jurists could debate whether the lower courts’ ruling violates this Court’s decision in Banks v. Dretke, which makes clear that defendants do not bear the burden of ferreting out prosecutorial misconduct or failures to disclose critical evidence: “A rule thus declaring ‘prosecutor may hide, defendant must seek,’ is not tenable in a system constitutionally bound to accord defendants due process.” 540 U.S. 668, 696 (2004)? i

Docket Entries

2024-05-30
Reply of petitioner Jamie Mills filed.
2024-05-30
Application (23A1064) referred to the Court.
2024-05-30
Application (23A1064) for stay of execution of sentence of death presented to Justice Thomas and by him referred to the Court is denied. The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied.
2024-05-30
Petition DENIED.
2024-05-29
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due June 28, 2024)
2024-05-29
Application (23A1064) for a stay of execution of sentence of death, submitted to Justice Thomas.
2024-05-29
Brief of respondent John Hamm, Commissioner in opposition filed.

Attorneys

John Hamm, Commissioner
Lauren Ashley SimpsonOffice of the Attorney General State of Alabama, Respondent