No. 25-289

Muhamed Pathe Bah v. United States

Lower Court: Fifth Circuit
Docketed: 2025-09-12
Status: Denied
Type: Paid
Response Waived
Tags: 2255-motion federal-circuits habeas-corpus legal-standard rule-56 summary-judgment
Key Terms:
HabeasCorpus Punishment Privacy
Latest Conference: 2025-10-17
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether Rule 56 summary-judgment standards apply uniformly to 2255 habeas motions across federal circuits

Question Presented (from Petition)

Courts in every federal district apply Rule 56 to 2255 motions; the application, however, is uneven. In the Second Circuit, the summary-judgment rules do not apply “in their entirety” in habeas proceedings, but in the Fourth and Sixth Circuits the summary-judgment rules apply as in civil cases. Here, a district court in the Fifth Circuit inverted the summary-judgment standard and placed the summary-judgment burden on the nonmovant. Petitioner asks this Court to use this case to define the relationship between Rule 56 and a motion brought under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. What duties, if any, does an attorney owe his client when counsel is aware the client is acutely mentally ill and that client instructs counsel not to investigate mitigation evidence?

Docket Entries

2025-10-20
Petition DENIED.
2025-10-01
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 10/17/2025.
2025-09-24
Waiver of United States of America of right to respond submitted.
2025-09-24
Waiver of right of respondent United States of America to respond filed.
2025-09-10
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due October 14, 2025)
2025-07-30
Application (25A122) granted by Justice Alito extending the time to file until September 11, 2025.
2025-07-25
Application (25A122) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from August 12, 2025 to September 26, 2025, submitted to Justice Alito.

Attorneys

Muhamed Bah
Niles Stefan IllichPalmer Perlstein, Petitioner
Niles Stefan IllichPalmer Perlstein, Petitioner
United States of America
D. John SauerSolicitor General, Respondent
D. John SauerSolicitor General, Respondent