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162 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25A846 Marion Alexander Lindsey v. South Carolina South Carolina 2026-01-23 Application capital-sentencing due-process ineffective-assistance mitigating-evidence post-conviction-relief sixth-amendment Question not identified.
25-732 Amos Wells v. Eric Guerrero, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2025-12-19 Pending Amici (4) capital-sentencing constitutional-rights expert-testimony future-dangerousness habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance Whether trial counsel provides constitutionally ineffective assistance of counsel at the sentencing phase of a capital trial by presenting evidence th…
25-5745 Victor Tony Jones v. Florida, et al. Florida 2025-09-27 Denied IFP capital-sentencing constitutional-rules due-process mitigating-evidence postconviction-litigation supremacy-clause 1. Has Florida violated the Supremacy Clause by constructing a system of postconviction litigation that provides no avenue for the assertion of retroa…
25-5633 Mica Alexander Martinez v. Christe Quick, Warden Tenth Circuit 2025-09-15 Denied IFP capital-sentencing due-process ineffective-assistance juror-unanimity prosecutorial-misconduct racial-bias Mica Martinez is a Native American steeped in Comanche culture. Mr. Martinez's defense counsel at trial warned the prosecution of putting on a "wild c…
25-5325 Robert W. Hassett, III v. Delaware Delaware 2025-08-12 Denied Relisted (2)IFP capital-sentencing constitutional-amendments criminal-procedure death-penalty due-process jury-instructions 1. Whether the Eighth^hdil '4th Amendments to the United States Constitution are violated, and this Court 's holdings are contradicted, 1 when a cour…
25-5219 Mao Hin v. California California 2025-07-29 Denied IFP capital-sentencing constitutional-rights death-penalty jury-unanimity reasonable-doubt sentencing-procedure Whether California's capital-sentencing scheme violates the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments because it fails to require the jury to fi…
25-5184 Matthew Lee Caylor v. Florida Florida 2025-07-24 Dismissed IFP aggravating-factors capital-sentencing constitutional-rights death-penalty due-process jury-waiver I. Whether accepting a defendant's waiver of the right to a trial by jury and the jury's full consideration of mitigating evidence in a death penalty …
25-5096 Christopher John Spreitz v. Arizona Arizona 2025-07-14 Denied Amici (1)Relisted (2)IFP capital-sentencing constitutional-review death-penalty habeas-corpus mitigating-evidence ninth-circuit 1. Whether in conducting independent sentencing review to cure a constitutional error in a capital case, a court must consider all of the evidence in …
24-7426 Stephen Lynn Buggs v. Texas Texas 2025-06-16 Denied IFP constitutional-claims federal-constitutional-rights fundamental-issues judicial-review subsequent-writs texas-court-of-criminal-appeals Did the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals err in refusing to consider petitioner's claims where he alleged fundamental and federal constitutional issues…
24-7145 Jeffery Day Rieber v. John Q. Hamm, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections Eleventh Circuit 2025-05-06 Denied IFP capital-sentencing ineffective-assistance intent intoxication jury-trial sixth-amendment Did trial counsel render ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to pursue a theory of lack of intent due to intoxication and by not developing m…
24A744 Leonard Harris v. Nakita Ross, et al. Fourth Circuit 2025-01-29 Presumed Complete capital-sentencing criminal-procedure exculpatory-evidence ineffective-assistance right-to-counsel sixth-amendment Whether a criminal defendant's Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel is violated when counsel fails to adequately investigate and p…
24-6376 Marion Bowman, Jr. v. Bryan P. Stirling, Director, South Carolina Department of Corrections, et al. South Carolina 2025-01-23 Denied IFP capital-sentencing constitutional-rights criminal-trial due-process ineffective-assistance racial-bias Did trial counsel provide prejudicially deficient assistance of counsel by repeatedly introducing and amplifying noxious racial stereotypes about Bowm…
24-6212 Raymond Anthony Lewis v. Raul Morales, Acting Warden Ninth Circuit 2024-12-30 Denied IFP capital-sentencing death-penalty extraneous-evidence habeas-corpus jury-misconduct religious-bias Whether post-trial evidence of a jury foreperson introducing extra-record religious evidence during capital sentencing deliberations establishes jury …
24-6172 Tyrone T. Johnson v. Florida Florida 2024-12-18 Denied IFP arbitrary-capricious capital-sentencing death-penalty eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment proportionality-review Has the Florida Supreme Court misapplied Pulley v. Harris and rendered Florida's capital sentencing scheme unconstitutional by abandoning comparative …
24-5916 Javance Mickey Wilson v. California California 2024-11-05 Denied IFP capital-sentencing constitutional-amendments criminal-procedure death-penalty jury-findings reasonable-doubt Does California's capital-sentencing scheme violate the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments by failing to require jury factual findings for death …
24A329 Robert Wharton v. Joseph Terra, Superintendent, State Correctional Institution at Phoenix Third Circuit 2024-10-04 Presumed Complete capital-sentencing counsel-performance ineffective-assistance mitigating-evidence prison-behavior sixth-amendment Whether a capital defendant's Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel is violated when counsel fails to present mitigating evidence o…
24A298 James Herard v. Florida Florida 2024-09-27 Presumed Complete capital-sentencing constitutional-rights death-penalty due-process eighth-amendment jury-unanimity Whether the Eighth Amendment requires jury unanimity in capital sentencing decisions and whether a judge may impose a death sentence after a non-unani…
24A242 Paul David Storey v. Texas Texas 2024-09-06 Presumed Complete capital-sentencing constitutional-claims death-penalty habeas-corpus prosecutorial-misconduct victim-impact Whether prosecutorial misconduct that deliberately misrepresents victim's family's views during a capital sentencing proceeding constitutes a violatio…
23A1151 Devin Allen Bennett v. Mississippi Mississippi 2024-06-25 Presumed Complete capital-sentencing double-edged-sword ineffective-assistance mitigation-evidence sixth-amendment strickland-standard Whether a state court's rejection of an ineffective assistance of counsel claim based on a hypothetical 'residual doubt' strategy and potential 'doubl…
23-7024 Thomas Bevel v. Florida Florida 2024-03-19 Denied IFP aggravating-factors arbitrary-sentencing capital-sentencing death-penalty due-process eighth-amendment proportionality-review reasonable-doubt Whether Florida's capital sentencing scheme violates the Eighth Amendment
23-7029 Byron James Shepard v. Oklahoma Oklahoma 2024-03-19 Denied IFP aggravating-circumstance aggravating-factors capital-punishment capital-sentencing criminal-procedure death-penalty eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment jury-discretion Does Oklahoma's continuing threat aggravating circumstance violate this Court's capital sentencing jurisprudence and the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendme…
23-1004 Moises Sandoval Mendoza v. Bobby Lumpkin, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2024-03-13 Denied capital-punishment capital-sentencing due-process federal-court fifth-circuit habeas habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance merits-adjudication section-2254 state-court Whether a federal claim is 'adjudicated on the merits' in state court under 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)
23-6888 Darrell Wayne Frederick v. Christe Quick, Warden Tenth Circuit 2024-03-04 Denied IFP aspd brain-damage capital-punishment capital-sentencing ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mitigation-evidence prejudice prejudice-review strickland-standard strickland-v-washington Whether the Tenth Circuit contravened Strickland v. Washington by not considering the totality of the mitigating evidence in its prejudice review
23A772 Jorge Galindo v. Nebraska Nebraska 2024-02-23 Presumed Complete capital-sentencing death-penalty eddings-standard eighth-amendment mitigating-circumstances youthful-offender Whether a trial court's refusal to consider a defendant's youthful age as a mitigating circumstance in a capital sentencing proceeding violates the Ei…
23-6276 Danny Hill v. Tim Shoop, Warden Sixth Circuit 2023-12-15 Denied Relisted (2)IFP aedpa bitemark-evidence constitutional-challenge federal-constitutional-rights forensic-science habeas-corpus judicial-resources newly-ripened-claims second-or-successive second-or-successive-petition Is a habeas petition 'second or successive' when the factual predicate giving rise to the petitioner's claim occurs long after the petitioner filed hi…
23-6078 Timothy Ray Jones, Jr. v. South Carolina South Carolina 2023-11-21 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing due-process eighth-amendment insanity-defense jury jury-instructions not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity voir-dire Whether the Due Process Clause and the Eighth Amendment require that a jury, as the sentencer in a capital case, be told the truth about the effect of…
23-5996 Lyndon Fitzgerald Pace v. Shawn Emmons, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2023-11-13 Denied Relisted (9)IFP aedpa capital-sentencing constitutional-error death-penalty due-process ineffective-assistance jury-argument jury-instructions prosecutorial-misconduct right-to-silence Whether the lower court was bound by Darden v. Wainwright under AEDPA
23-5660 Taberon Dave Honie v. Robert Powell, Warden Tenth Circuit 2023-09-27 Denied Amici (1)Relisted (2)IFP capital-sentencing constitutional-rights federal-habeas habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance jury-waiver prejudice-standard state-statutory-right waiver When a capital defendant on federal habeas review challenges as ineffective his counsel's performance as it relates to the defendant's waiver of a sta…
23-5565 William E. Wells, III v. Florida Florida 2023-09-13 Denied IFP aggravating-factors apprendi-v-new-jersey capital-sentencing death-penalty due-process eighth-amendment mental-illness proportionality-review Whether Florida's capital sentencing scheme violates the Eighth Amendment
23A178 Andrew P. Witt v. United States Armed Forces 2023-08-25 Presumed Complete capital-sentencing court-martial death-penalty ineffective-assistance-of-counsel prosecutorial-misconduct uniform-code-of-military-justice Whether prosecutorial misconduct during capital sentencing proceedings in a military court-martial, specifically arguments urging panel members to con…
23-5375 Isidro Miguel Delacruz v. Texas Texas 2023-08-17 Denied IFP 8th-amendment capital-sentencing constitutional-proportionality death-penalty due-process jury-instructions mitigation-evidence moral-culpability Can the Texas death penalty statute be reconciled with this Court's long-established mitigation jurisprudence?
23-5299 Keith Mas Sims, Jr. v. David W. Gray, Warden Sixth Circuit 2023-08-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP exhaustion-of-state-remedies fair-presentation federal-constitutional-rights habeas-corpus procedural-default speedy-trial Whether a state prisoner has exhausted his federal-law-based claims for purposes of federal habeas review under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 when he has presented…
23-5277 Sergio Ochoa v. Oak Smith, Acting Warden Ninth Circuit 2023-08-03 Denied IFP background-investigation capital-punishment capital-sentencing ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mitigating-evidence neuropsychological-deficits post-traumatic-stress post-traumatic-stress-disorder strickland-v-washington williams-v-taylor Whether the Ninth Circuit's decision in Ochoa v. Davis conflicts with Supreme Court precedent in Williams v. Taylor, Wiggins v. Smith, and Rompilla v.…
23A29 Taberon Dave Honie v. Robert Powell, Warden Tenth Circuit 2023-07-12 Presumed Complete capital-sentencing circuit-split habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-of-counsel jury-waiver strickland-prejudice Whether the standard for assessing Strickland prejudice in capital cases involving counsel's deficient advice to waive a defendant's statutory right t…
23-5039 Thomas E. Creech v. Tim Richardson, Warden Ninth Circuit 2023-07-05 Denied Amici (1)IFP capital-sentencing death-row eighth-amendment habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel psychopathy sixth-amendment Whether evidence of or reference to psychopathy should be treated as potentially mitigating or as categorically aggravating in capital sentencings
22-7184 Darrell Kelly Middlekauff v. Sue Washburn, Superintendent, Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution Oregon 2023-04-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP capital-sentencing death-penalty fourteenth-amendment ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel jury-trial jury-trial-waiver post-conviction-relief sixth-amendment Is trial counsel ineffective for failing to advise client of death penalty factors prior to waiving jury?
22-7135 Victoria Michelle Drain v. Ohio Ohio 2023-03-29 Denied IFP 8th-amendment capital-punishment capital-sentencing defense-counsel eddings-v-oklahoma eighth-amendment mitigating-evidence ohio-supreme-court sentencing-review strategic-choice Whether defense counsel has discretion to present mitigating evidence in a capital case
22-6895 Heather Leavell-Keaton v. Alabama Alabama 2023-03-01 Denied Amici (1)Relisted (4)IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing constitutional-rights death-penalty due-process evidence prison-behavior sentencing skipper-precedent skipper-v-south-carolina When a capital defendant's death sentence is vacated and the case is remanded for a new sentencing at which the death penalty is an available sentence…
22-6772 Marion Bowman, Jr. v. Bryan P. Stirling, Commissioner, South Carolina Department of Corrections, et al. Fourth Circuit 2023-02-14 Denied IFP alternative-perpetrator brady-materiality brady-v-maryland capital-sentencing exculpatory-evidence giglio-v-united-states habeas-corpus kyles-v-whitley materiality prosecutorial-misconduct witness-credibility Was the Fourth Circuit's finding of no materiality of the suppressed evidence inconsistent with this Court's clearly established precedents?
22-6725 Michael A. Gordon v. Florida Florida 2023-02-08 Denied IFP capital-sentencing death-penalty eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment proportionality-review pulley-v-harris Has the Florida Supreme Court by abandoning comparative proportionality review in death penalty appeals while dismantling other safeguards, and in vie…
22-6488 John F. Mosley v. Florida Florida 2023-01-09 Denied IFP aggravating-factors apprendi-v-new-jersey capital-sentencing constitutional-rights due-process mitigating-circumstances mitigating-evidence reasonable-doubt ring-v-arizona Whether excluding evidence of a history of sexual abuse in Mr. Mosley's family of origin was contrary to Eddings v. Oklahoma
22-6091 Brian J. Dorsey v. David Vandergriff, Warden Eighth Circuit 2022-11-17 Denied IFP capital-sentencing certificate-of-appealability evidentiary-hearing habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel law-of-the-case martinez-v-ryan procedural-default sixth-amendment Whether the law-of-the-case doctrine prohibits a court from changing its previous ruling on the same question later during the course of litigation
22-6049 Kenneth Eugene Smith v. Alabama Alabama 2022-11-14 Denied IFP capital-sentencing cruel-and-unusual-punishment death-penalty eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment jury-determination jury-override state-federal-practice Does executing a condemned person contrary to a capital sentencing jury's determination that he should be sentenced to life imprisonment without the p…
22-5891 Kevin B. Burns v. Tony Mays, Warden Sixth Circuit 2022-10-24 Denied Amici (1)Relisted (7)IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing felony-murder ineffective-assistance moral-culpability residual-doubt sentencing state-law strickland-v-washington Whether an ineffective assistance claim may be based on counsel's failure to exercise a state-law right to introduce residual doubt evidence at a capi…
22-5675 Larry Gapen v. Ohio Ohio 2022-09-23 Denied IFP capital-case constitutional-violations due-process extrinsic-evidence federal-constitutional-rights federal-habeas-corpus habeas-corpus juror-misconduct lex-talionis state-procedural-rules Whether state courts violate the federal constitution's right to due process by applying state procedural rules to prevent substantial claims of feder…
22-5519 Kareem J. Stansbury v. Michael Courley, Acting Superintendent, State Correctional Institution at Camp Hill, et al. Third Circuit 2022-09-07 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP certificate-of-appealability criminal-justice-system fair-trial federal-constitutional-rights habeas-corpus pro-se-defendant procedural-default sixth-amendment speedy-trial Whether and to what extent the criminal justice system tolerates criminal convictions based off cumulative violations of a pro se defendant's federal …
22-5513 Jerome Jenkins, Jr. v. South Carolina South Carolina 2022-09-06 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing due-process hearsay-rules hurst-v-florida judicial-bias jury-sentencing jury-waiver mitigating-evidence plea-bargaining state-statute Could a South Carolina trial judge who had told Petitioner he would sentence him to death if he pled guilty still rule, consistent with Hurst v. Flori…
22-5464 Barney Adrian Dunlap v. David Mitchell, Superintendent, Lanesboro Correctional Institution Fourth Circuit 2022-08-29 Denied IFP constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process federal-constitutional-rights ineffective-assistance jury-instructions lesser-included-offenses state-constitutional-rights Has the trial court erred by refusing to instruct the jury on lesser included offenses supported by the evidence, in violation of Dunlap's state and f…
22-5109 Teddy Brian Sanchez v. Ronald Broomfield, Warden Ninth Circuit 2022-07-15 Denied IFP attorney-error brain-dysfunction capital-sentencing capital-trial circuit-split cumulative-error ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel ninth-circuit penalty-phase prejudice-standard Whether the Ninth Circuit erred in finding that the petitioner's 'organic' brain dysfunction was not enough of a 'red flag' to trigger a duty for tria…
21-8187 Jesse Bell v. Florida Florida 2022-06-21 Denied IFP aggravating-factors alleyne-v-united-states apprendi-v-new-jersey capital-sentencing constitutional-standard due-process mitigating-circumstances reasonable-doubt ring-v-arizona standard-of-proof Whether the Due Process Clause requires the additional determinations under Florida's capital sentencing scheme to be made beyond a reasonable doubt
21-7542 Carman Deck v. Paul Blair, Warden Missouri 2022-04-05 Denied IFP capital-sentencing constitutional-rights delay-in-sentencing due-process fair-trial fundamental-fairness mitigation-evidence right-to-present-evidence sentencing-delay Whether the inordinate delay between the defendant's conviction and capital sentencing proceedings prejudiced the defendant's ability to present mitig…
21-7082 William Speer v. Bobby Lumpkin, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2022-02-09 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing double-edged-evidence eighth-amendment habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mitigating-evidence sixth-amendment strickland-standard strickland-v-washington Whether the Fifth Circuit's resolution of the prejudice prong under Strickland v. Washington contravenes settled Sixth and Eighth Amendment precedent …
21-7061 John Lezell Balentine v. Bobby Lumpkin, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2022-02-04 Denied IFP capital-defendant capital-sentencing circuit-split due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mitigation-evidence schriro-v-landrigan sentencing trial-counsel Under Schriro v. Landrigan, does a capital defendant forfeit his right to allege trial counsel's ineffectiveness for failing to adequately investigate…
21-1044 Bryan P. Stirling, Director, South Carolina Department of Corrections, et al. v. James Nathaniel Bryant, III Fourth Circuit 2022-01-26 Denied capital-punishment capital-sentencing due-process fact-finding federal-review habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance state-court-deference In review of a claim fully adjudicated in state court, did the district court violate 28-usc-2254, finality, federalism
21-6822 James Edward Barber v. John Q. Hamm, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections Eleventh Circuit 2022-01-12 Denied IFP aggravating-evidence capital-sentencing ineffective-assistance-of-counsel jury-instructions mental-health-evidence mitigation-evidence prejudice prejudice-standard split-verdict What is the proper legal standard for assessing the prejudice resulting from deficient assistance of counsel in capital sentencing proceedings, partic…
21-6651 Laqunn Gary v. Mississippi Mississippi 2021-12-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP due-process fair-trial federal-constitutional-rights federal-issues federal-treaties ineffective-assistance post-conviction-relief state-procedural-bar state-procedural-bars Whether Miss. Code Ann. 99-39-21 was unreasonably used to bar the petitioner's fundamental issues of severe importance that revolve around federal tre…
21-6654 Donald H. Davidson, Jr. v. Florida Florida 2021-12-17 Denied IFP aggravating-factors alleyne-v-united-states apprendi-v-new-jersey capital-punishment capital-sentencing due-process hurst-v-florida mitigating-circumstances reasonable-doubt ring-v-arizona sentencing-determination Whether the Due Process Clause requires the additional determinations under Florida's capital sentencing scheme to be made beyond a reasonable doubt b…
21-6429 Randall T. Deviney v. Florida Florida 2021-11-24 Denied IFP aggravating-factors alleyne-v-united-states apprendi-v-new-jersey capital-sentencing criminal-procedure due-process eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment functional-elements hurst-v-florida ring-v-arizona Whether the Due Process Clause requires additional determinations under Florida's capital sentencing scheme to be made beyond a reasonable doubt
21-6387 Richard Barry Randolph v. Florida Florida 2021-11-23 Denied IFP apprendi-v-new-jersey capital-sentencing constitutional-interpretation criminal-procedure death-penalty due-process eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment retroactive-law statutory-construction Whether the Florida Supreme Court's decision in Hurst v. State constitutes statutory construction of substantive law, and if so, whether the Due Proce…
21-6328 Scottie D. Allen v. Florida Florida 2021-11-18 Denied IFP capital-sentencing criminal-procedure due-process eighth-amendment jury-instructions reasonable-doubt sentencing standard-of-proof Whether the Florida Supreme Court's rejection of Petitioner's claim of error based on the jury being affirmatively misinformed about its role in the s…
21-579 Kenneth Eugene Smith v. John Q. Hamm, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2021-10-20 Denied accomplice-liability burden-of-proof capital-sentencing constitutional-rights due-process eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment jury-instructions jury-trial sixth-amendment specific-intent Under Waddington v. Sarausad, does a general jury instruction on accomplice liability relieve the State of its burden to prove specific intent beyond …
21-5753 James Allyson Lee v. Benjamin Ford, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2021-09-22 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing childhood-trauma habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mitigation-evidence post-conviction-relief ptsd ptsd-evidence strickland-standard strickland-v-washington Whether new mitigating evidence of a capital defendant's horrific childhood abuse and PTSD diagnosis can be considered cumulative and inconsequential …
21-5672 Wayne C. Doty v. Florida Florida 2021-09-14 Denied IFP aggravating-factors alleyne-v-united-states apprendi-v-new-jersey capital-sentencing due-process jury-trial mitigating-circumstances reasonable-doubt ring-v-arizona Whether the Due Process Clause and right to a jury trial require additional determinations under Florida's capital sentencing scheme to be made beyond…
21-5280 Robert Craft v. Florida Florida 2021-08-03 Denied IFP aggravating-factors alleyne-v-united-states apprendi-v-new-jersey capital-sentencing constitutional-law criminal-procedure due-process hurst-v-florida reasonable-doubt ring-v-arizona Whether the Due Process Clause requires the determination that sufficient aggravating factors exist to justify imposing a death sentence to be made be…
21-5232 Duane Allen Short v. Ohio Ohio 2021-07-29 Denied IFP caldwell-v-mississippi capital-punishment capital-sentencing constitutional-decency due-process eighth-amendment evolving-standards-of-decency jury-recommendation jury-trial sixth-amendment Is Ohio's capital sentencing scheme, which permits telling the jury that their decision is only a mere recommendation, unconstitutional under Hurst v.…
21-5048 Wesley Lynn Ruiz v. Bobby Lumpkin, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2021-07-08 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing certificate-of-appealability due-process eighth-amendment expert-testimony expert-witness false-testimony prosecutorial-misconduct Should the prosecution be held responsible for presenting false expert testimony at a capital sentencing trial?
20-8408 Scott R. Deichsel v. Lizzie Tegels, Warden Seventh Circuit 2021-06-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-counsel certificate-of-appealability denial-of-constitutional-rights due-process federal-constitutional-right federal-constitutional-rights ineffective-assistance-of-counsel plea-colloquy state-law Whether a Certificate of Appealability can be vacated
20-8341 Jonathan Huey Lawrence v. Florida Florida 2021-06-17 Denied IFP capital-sentencing due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection fourteenth-amendment proffitt-v-florida proportionality-review pulley-v-harris Whether eliminating proportionality review from Florida's capital sentencing scheme contravenes this Court's Eighth Amendment jurisprudence
20-8101 Joseph Weldon Smith v. Perry Russell, Warden, et al. Ninth Circuit 2021-05-21 Denied IFP brecht-standard brecht-v-abrahamson capital-sentencing harmless-error jury-instruction jury-instructions jury-trial sixth-amendment stromberg-error stromberg-v-california Whether a federal court may disregard the prejudice resulting from Stromberg error and instead ask only what a hypothetical jury instructed on a valid…
20-1613 John Wayne Collins v. James David Green, Warden Sixth Circuit 2021-05-19 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) aedpa aedpa-deference clearly-established-law criminal-joinder federal-constitutional-claim federal-constitutional-rights habeas-corpus standard-of-review state-court-proceedings state-supreme-court unreasonable-application Whether de novo review instead of deferential review under AEDPA applies where a state supreme court's analysis was not conducted deliberately as a fe…
20-8075 Damantae Graham v. Ohio Ohio 2021-05-19 Denied IFP appellate-review capital-punishment capital-sentencing constitutional-error constitutional-law criminal-procedure harmless-error trial-procedure victim-impact victim-impact-testimony Is a new trial required when an appellate court assumes a trial court's admission of irrelevant victim impact testimony was error?
20-7988 Robert Allen Poyson v. Arizona Arizona 2021-05-11 Denied IFP aggravating-factors capital-sentencing causal-nexus constitutional-review death-penalty eighth-amendment individualized-sentencing mitigation-evidence non-statutory-mitigation Is the individualized capital sentencing requirement guaranteed by the Eighth Amendment violated when a State predetermines that in all cases only min…
20-7895 David Scott Franks v. Benjamin Ford, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2021-04-30 Denied IFP capital-case capital-sentencing eleventh-circuit ineffective-assistance mitigating-evidence residual-doubt sentencing wiggins-standard wiggins-v-smith Is counsel relieved of the duty to investigate and present all reasonably available mitigating evidence in a capital case if he chooses to present a r…
20-7804 Michael William Ledford v. Warden, Georgia Diagnostic Prison Eleventh Circuit 2021-04-20 Denied IFP batson-challenge batson-v-kentucky capital-sentencing civil-rights due-process gender-discrimination ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel j.e.b-v-alabama jury-selection psychopathy-evidence Whether Batson v. Kentucky allows an inference of discrimination based on a pattern of strikes against black or women jurors
20-7732 Tina LaSonya Brown v. Florida Florida 2021-04-13 Denied IFP aggravating-factors appellate-review capital-sentencing constitutional-procedure death-penalty due-process ex-post-facto jury-finding jury-findings sixth-amendment Whether the Florida Supreme Court's procedure for imposing a death sentence violates the Sixth, Eighth, or Fourteenth Amendments
20-7724 John K. Wilson v. Rosemary Ndoh, Warden Ninth Circuit 2021-04-12 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-standard de-novo-review due-process evidentiary-hearing federal-constitutional-rights fourteenth-amendment guilty-plea no-contest-plea plea-bargaining standard-of-review state-court-proceedings Whether a defendant is entitled to de novo review of a claim that his guilty plea was involuntary under the Fourteenth Amendment
20-7592 Alan Eugene Miller v. Jefferson S. Dunn, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections Eleventh Circuit 2021-03-29 Denied IFP aggravating-factor aggravating-factors caldwell-v-mississippi capital-sentencing death-penalty eighth-amendment jury-instructions jury-verdict sixth-amendment Whether the Eighth Amendment allows a jury's non-unanimous advisory verdict to serve as the predicate for a death sentence, when the jurors were told …
20-6891 Ronald Knight v. Florida Department of Corrections, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2021-01-14 Denied IFP capital-defense capital-sentencing ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mental-health mental-health-evidence mitigation-investigation postconviction-relief prejudice strickland-standard strickland-v-washington Whether trial counsel has an obligation to conduct a comprehensive mitigation investigation
20-6709 Lance Hundley v. Ohio Ohio 2020-12-28 Denied IFP capital-defendant capital-sentencing constitutional-review death-penalty due-process fourteenth-amendment jury-determination mental-health self-representation sixth-amendment Do the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments forbid a trial court from allowing a capital defendant with questionable mental health to represent himself?
20-6644 David Santiago Renteria v. Bobby Lumpkin, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2020-12-16 Denied IFP capital-sentencing certificate-of-appealability due-process eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment habeas-corpus investigative-funds sentencing Did the Court of Appeals deny petitioner a full appeal of the district court's denial of funding under 18 U.S.C. § 3599(f), and this Court's decision …
20-6533 Grover B. Reed v. Florida Florida 2020-12-04 Denied IFP capital-sentencing due-process eighth-amendment florida-supreme-court fourteenth-amendment hurst-v-state retroactive-law retroactivity statutory-construction Whether the Florida Supreme Court's statutory construction in Hurst v. State constitutes substantive law, and if so, whether under the Due Process Cla…
20-6515 Anthony Ponticelli v. Florida Florida 2020-12-03 Denied IFP capital-sentencing due-process eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment hurst-v-state jury-unanimity retroactivity statutory-construction substantive-law Whether the Florida Supreme Court's statutory construction in Hurst v. State constitutes substantive law, and if so, whether the Due Process Clause of…
20-6498 Tony Barksdale v. Jefferson Dunn, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections Eleventh Circuit 2020-12-02 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing certificate-of-appealability due-process effective-assistance-of-counsel eighth-amendment eleventh-circuit habeas-corpus sixth-amendment supreme-court-precedent Did the Eleventh Circuit misconstrue this Court's guidance in Buck v. Davis when it denied Petitioner a Certificate of Appealability?
20-701 James Calvert v. Texas Texas 2020-11-20 Denied Relisted (6) capital-punishment capital-sentencing due-process eighth-amendment mental-competency right-to-counsel structural-error Whether the Constitution prevents a State from allowing a defendant to represent himself in a capital case when the defendant is mentally competent to…
20-6166 Brad Keith Sigmon v. Bryan Stirling, Commissioner, South Carolina Department of Corrections, et al. Fourth Circuit 2020-10-29 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing cumulative-evidence evidentiary-hearing ineffective-assistance-of-counsel martinez-claim martinez-v-ryan mitigation-evidence sixth-amendment Whether the Fourth Circuit violated this Court's directives on the Sixth Amendment's right to effective counsel when it rejected Sigmon's Martinez evi…
20-6060 Benjamin Davis Smiley, Jr. v. Florida Florida 2020-10-19 Denied IFP aggravating-factors capital-sentencing cruel-and-unusual-punishment eighth-amendment equal-protection fourteenth-amendment jury-determination mitigating-circumstances sentencing Does the decision of the Florida Supreme Court in Smiley v. State, 295 So.3d 156 (2020), violate the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishm…
20-250 Mark Anthony Poole v. Florida Florida 2020-09-01 Denied aggravating-circumstances capital-sentencing death-penalty eighth-amendment hurst-precedent hurst-v-florida jury-recommendation mitigating-circumstances sixth-amendment Whether the Florida Supreme Court erred in reinstating a capital sentence issued under Florida's pre-2016 scheme
20-5517 Scotty Ray Gardner v. Arkansas Arkansas 2020-08-27 Denied IFP access-to-courts aggravating-circumstance aggravating-circumstances appellate-review capital-punishment capital-sentencing death-penalty due-process jury-instructions Whether due process requires that every statutory element of an aggravating circumstance be proven beyond a reasonable doubt
20-5263 Patrick W. Schroeder v. Nebraska Nebraska 2020-08-05 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing death-penalty eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment mitigation mitigation-evidence pro-se pro-se-representation proportionality sentencing Whether the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments are violated when a capital sentencing panel issues a death sentence despite the defendant's refusal to i…
20-5109 Ganaa Otgoo v. Illinois Illinois 2020-07-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP conflict-between-state-court-decisions constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process fair-trial federal-constitutional-rights legal-review reasonable-doubt state-court state-court-actions wrongful-conviction Whether State Court actions denied Petitioner's Federal Constitutional Rights, denied Petitioner Fair and Impartial Trial
20-5072 Rodney Renard Newberry v. Florida Florida 2020-07-15 Denied IFP apprendi capital-sentencing due-process elements reasonable-doubt ring-v-arizona Whether, considering the operation and effect of Florida's capital sentencing scheme, the Due Process Clause requires those latter two determinations …
19-8814 Nicholas Alexander Davis v. Tommy Sharp, Interim Warden Tenth Circuit 2020-06-25 Denied IFP capital-sentencing due-process federal-habeas lockett-v-ohio mitigating-evidence payne-v-tennessee Victim-impact-evidence-exclusion
19-8660 Thomas Michael Riley v. Arizona Arizona 2020-06-10 Denied IFP aggravating-factors capital-punishment capital-sentencing constitutional-review death-penalty furman-v-georgia gregg-v-georgia narrowing-requirement sentencing-scheme To pass constitutional muster, must a death eligibility scheme collectively narrow the class of defendants eligible for the death penalty?
19-8614 Edward Leon Fields, Jr. v. United States Tenth Circuit 2020-06-05 Denied IFP caldwell-v-mississippi capital-sentencing constitutional-review donnelly-v-dechristoforo due-process eighth-amendment jury-responsibility prosecutorial-misconduct Whether Donnelly and Caldwell remain good law and, if so, whether the Tenth Circuit erred in applying a fundamental-fairness analysis to reject Petiti…
19-8473 Shawn Rogers v. Florida Florida 2020-05-15 Denied IFP aggravating-factors apprendi capital-sentencing due-process mitigating-circumstances ring-v-arizona Whether, considering the operation and effect of Florida's capital sentencing scheme, the Due Process Clause requires those latter two determinations …
19-8438 Rodney Lyn Emil v. Nevada Nevada 2020-05-12 Denied IFP aggravating-factors burden-of-proof capital-sentencing constitutional-procedure death-penalty jury-finding jury-instructions mitigating-circumstances reasonable-doubt Is Nevada's capital sentencing procedure unconstitutional after Hurst v. Florida?
19-8335 Mitchell Willoughby v. Deedra Hart, Warden Sixth Circuit 2020-04-22 Denied IFP caldwell-precedent capital-sentencing closing-argument death-penalty jury jury-instructions prosecutor prosecutorial-misconduct sixth-circuit state-law voir-dire Did the Sixth Circuit panel misunderstand or frustrate the purpose behind this court's holding in Caldwell v. Mississippi
19-8272 Nicholas Cody Tate v. Benjamin Ford, Warden Georgia 2020-04-16 Denied IFP aedpa aedpa-review capital-sentencing habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mitigation-evidence schriro-v-landrigan strickland-standard strickland-v-washington Whether the Georgia Supreme Court's opinion reversing the state habeas corpus court's reasoned grant of relief based on capital sentencing counsel's p…
19-8103 Ramiro Rubi Ibarra v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2020-03-26 Denied IFP capital-sentencing double-edged-evidence federal-judicial-review fifth-circuit habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-counsel judicial-review sixth-amendment texas-law Whether the Fifth Circuit failed to ensure meaningful federal judicial review of a substantial Sixth Amendment claim
19-8105 Justin Anderson v. Dexter Payne, Director, Arkansas Division of Correction Eighth Circuit 2020-03-26 Denied Amici (1)IFP brain-damage capital-sentencing federal-habeas fetal-alcohol-spectrum fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder ineffective-assistance mitigating-evidence postconviction-proceedings strickland-prejudice strickland-standard Ineffective-assistance-of-counsel
19-7696 In Re Nicholas Todd Sutton 2020-02-18 Denied IFP 14th-amendment 5th-amendment capital-sentencing constitutional-rights criminal-procedure criminal-trial death-penalty due-process fifth-amendment fourteenth-amendment habeas-corpus physical-restraints visible-jury Whether the Court should exercise its authority to issue an original writ of habeas corpus and hold that Mr. Sutton's conviction and death sentence sh…
19-7647 William P. Castillo v. Nevada Nevada 2020-02-12 Denied Amici (1)IFP aggravating-factors appellate-review apprendi apprendi-line capital-punishment capital-sentencing clemons-v-mississippi death-penalty jury-instructions mitigating-circumstances mitigating-evidence mitigation-evidence reweighing Should this Court overrule Clemons v. Mississippi
19-967 Craig M. Wood v. Missouri Missouri 2020-02-03 Denied Relisted (2) capital-punishment capital-sentencing constitutional-rights death-penalty due-process eighth-amendment jury-determination jury-trial sentencing sixth-amendment Whether the Constitution requires that a jury, rather than a judge, weigh the aggravating and mitigating circumstances to determine whether a defendan…
19-7063 Leeton Jahwanza Thomas v. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 2019-12-26 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing death-penalty eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment jury-trial reasonable-doubt sixth-amendment Were Petitioner's rights under the Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution violated by a Pennsylvania statutory sch…
19-6918 Michael Wade Nance v. Benjamin Ford, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2019-12-12 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing circuit-split constitutional-rights habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mitigation-strategy record-evidence strickland-v-washington stun-belt trial-counsel Whether courts must consider the record evidence in determining the reasonableness of trial counsel's actions, or can deem them strategic and reasonab…
19-6531 Demetrius Frazier v. Jefferson S. Dunn, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections Eleventh Circuit 2019-11-06 Denied IFP 28-usc-2244 capital-sentencing capital-sentencing-scheme certificate-of-appealability constitutional-challenge fourteenth-amendment habeas-corpus second-or-successive-petition sixth-amendment Whether the Eleventh Circuit should have issued a certificate of appealability
19-514 Nikko A. Jenkins v. Nebraska Nebraska 2019-10-21 Denied Amici (3)Relisted (3) capital-sentencing death-penalty eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment mental-health mental-illness mitigating-evidence sixth-amendment solitary-confinement Whether the sentencing court violated the requirement of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment that capital sentencers give meaningful consideration and…
19-6235 Scott Thomas Erskine v. California California 2019-10-10 Denied IFP aggravating-circumstances capital-sentencing constitutional-amendments cruel-and-unusual-punishment death-penalty due-process equal-protection jury-trial jury-unanimity narrowing-requirement sentencing Does California's death penalty statute violate the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments?
19-6101 Raymond Eugene Johnson v. Tommy Sharp, Interim Warden Tenth Circuit 2019-09-30 Denied IFP aggravating-circumstances capital-sentencing death-penalty factfinder harm lockett-v-ohio mitigating-circumstances prejudice Should the Court recalibrate the frameworks for judging the prejudice or harm of capital sentencing errors in jurisdictions where the factfinder may d…
19-336 Keith Chester Hill v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2019-09-12 Denied Response Waived capital-sentencing discretionary-sentencing fifth-circuit glover-v-united-states habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel prejudice prejudice-analysis reasonable-probability sentencing strickland-standard strickland-v-washington Whether the court of appeals erred in holding that, to demonstrate that counsel was ineffective at a state, non-capital, discretionary sentencing proc…
19-5568 Keith D. Nelson v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-08-13 Denied IFP brain-damage capital-sentencing certificate-of-appealability childhood-abuse childhood-sexual-abuse ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel life-sentence mental-illness mitigating-evidence prejudice-analysis strickland-prejudice strickland-prejudice-standard strickland-standard Does it violate the Strickland prejudice standard to conclude that never before presented evidence of brain damage, severe mental illness, and childho…
19-5041 Matthew Jamison v. Levern Cohen, Warden Fourth Circuit 2019-07-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP collateral-review conflict-with-other-states constitutional-law due-process equal-protection ex-post-facto federal-constitutional-rights federal-question retroactive-application vested-rights Did S.C. Supreme Court decide on an important federal question in ways conflicting with decision of other state?
18A1349 Pennsylvania v. Milton Montalvo Pennsylvania 2019-06-21 Presumed Complete capital-sentencing death-penalty eighth-amendment ineffective-assistance jury-recommendation mental-health-mitigation Whether a prosecutor's and trial court's statements characterizing a jury's capital sentencing verdict as a mere 'recommendation' constitute a violati…
18A1263 Keith D. Nelson v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-06-04 Presumed Complete capital-sentencing certificate-of-appealability constitutional-standards death-penalty eighth-amendment ineffective-assistance Whether the Eighth Amendment and standards for ineffective assistance of counsel require a new sentencing hearing when trial counsel's performance fal…
18-1495 Bryan P. Stirling, Director, South Carolina Department of Corrections, et al. v. Charles Christopher Williams Fourth Circuit 2019-05-31 Denied aedpa aedpa-review aedpa-standard capital-case capital-punishment capital-sentencing double-edged-evidence double-edged-sword fetal-alcohol-syndrome future-dangerousness habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel strickland-standard strickland-v-washington Whether a state court is objectively unreasonable under 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(1) in concluding a capital defendant was not prejudiced by counsel's failu…
18-9464 Charles William Finney v. Florida Florida 2019-05-29 Denied IFP aggravating-factors capital-murder capital-sentencing death-penalty florida-constitution jury-trial jury-unanimity mitigating-circumstances sixth-amendment Whether Florida's capital sentencing scheme violates the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial by requiring the jury to find only aggravating factors …
18-9363 Michael Lee Robinson v. Florida Florida 2019-05-21 Denied IFP capital-sentencing constitutional-waiver due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection federal-constitutional-rights hurst-rule penalty-jury retroactivity waiver Can a defendant waive a federal constitutional right that was unknown and unrecognized at the time?
18-9349 Robert Lee McConnell v. William Gittere, Warden, et al. Nevada 2019-05-20 Denied IFP 8th-amendment aggravating-circumstances capital-sentencing constitutional-requirement due-process jury-finding mitigating-circumstances reasonable-doubt Whether the Constitution requires—in a state in which a jury is required to find that mitigating circumstances do not outweigh the aggravating circums…
18-9293 Eugene Cooper v. Florida Florida 2019-05-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP abuse-of-discretion constitutional-rights due-process evidentiary-hearing federal-constitutional-rights newly-discovered-evidence postconviction-relief right-to-counsel trial-court-discretion Whether the trial court erred and abused its discretion in denying Mr. Cooper's 3.850 (b) (1) Motion for Postconviction relief based on Newly Discover…
18-9267 John Loveman Reese v. Florida Florida 2019-05-14 Denied IFP capital-sentencing cruel-and-unusual-punishment due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection jury-trial retroactivity Whether the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of Equal Protection and the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of capricious capital sentencing impose limits…
18-9274 William Lee Thompson v. Florida Florida 2019-05-14 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing cruel-and-unusual-punishment due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection retroactivity sentencing-procedure teague-v-lane Whether the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of Equal Protection and the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of capricious capital sentencing impose limits…
18-9031 In Re Michael Brandon Samra 2019-04-30 Denied IFP brain-development capital-sentencing cruel-and-unusual death-penalty eighth-amendment evolving-standards habeas-corpus juvenile-offender juvenile-offenders neurological-development neuroscience Whether the Eighth Amendment's evolving standards prohibit the execution of offenders who were 19 years old at the time of their crime
18-9033 Michael Brandon Samra v. Alabama Alabama 2019-04-30 Denied IFP brain-development capital-punishment capital-sentencing death-penalty eighth-amendment evolving-standards evolving-standards-of-decency juvenile-offender juvenile-offenders neuroscientific-research Whether the Eighth Amendment prohibits the death penalty against offenders who were under 21 at the time of their crime
18-8982 Daniel Warren v. Josh Shapiro, Attorney General of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 2019-04-24 Denied IFP civil-rights constitutional-challenge custody due-process federal-constitutional-rights federal-habeas federal-rights habeas-corpus judicial-procedure procedural-due-process state-court state-court-review state-statute Whether a state court of last resort which dismisses without argument or opinion a challenge to the constitutionality of a statute from a judgment dis…
18-8937 Michael P. Johnson v. Mark Hooks, Warden Sixth Circuit 2019-04-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP 28-usc-2253 certificate-of-appealability due-process federal-constitutional-right federal-constitutional-rights federal-court-rulings habeas-corpus similar-facts sixth-circuit state-court-proceeding Whether a state habeas petitioner may satisfy his burden under 28 U.S.C. §2253(c)(2) of making a substantial showing of a denial of a federal constitu…
18-1306 Fred Anderson, Jr. v. Florida Florida 2019-04-16 Denied Amici (3) advisory-jury capital-punishment capital-sentencing death-penalty florida-supreme-court harmless-error hurst-v-florida judge-sentencing jury-trial jury-verdict sixth-amendment structural-error Whether a judge-imposed death sentence that violates Hurst is a structural error requiring reversal of the sentence
18-8683 James Aren Duckett v. Florida Florida 2019-04-03 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing constitutional-law due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection retroactivity Whether the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of Equal Protection and the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of capricious capital sentencing impose limits…
18-8670 Demetrius Terrence Frazier v. Alabama Alabama 2019-04-02 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing constitutional-interpretation cruel-and-unusual-punishment death-penalty death-penalty-sentencing due-process equal-protection judicial-fact-finding jury-fact-finding jury-sentencing jury-trial retroactive-rule retroactivity sixth-amendment Does Alabama's capital sentencing statute violate Hurst v. Florida?
18-8476 Anthony Grandison v. Maryland Maryland 2019-03-20 Denied Response WaivedIFP capital-sentencing collateral-consequences constitutional-due-process criminal-procedure death-penalty due-process harmless-error jury-instructions mitigating-factors sentencing sentencing-guidelines standard-of-proof Whether the Maryland Court of Appeals erred in finding that Grandison failed to prove he suffered significant collateral consequences from his unconst…
18-8453 Dusty Ray Spencer v. Florida Florida 2019-03-19 Denied IFP binding-precedent capital-sentencing constitutional-rights death-penalty death-penalty-sentencing due-process federal-constitutional-rights jury-instructions jury-responsibility jury-verdict sentencing-process structural-error unanimous-verdict Whether structural error occurs when the jury fails to return a verdict as to multiple critical elements necessary to impose the death penalty
18-8432 Kelly Foust v. Ohio Ohio 2019-03-15 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP capital-defendant capital-punishment capital-sentencing constitutional-interpretation criminal-procedure death-penalty hurst-precedent hurst-v-florida jury jury-waiver sixth-amendment Does Ohio's death penalty scheme violate the Sixth Amendment right to a jury as explained in Hurst v. Florida?
18-8415 John L. Lotter v. Nebraska Nebraska 2019-03-13 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing death-penalty due-process eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment judicial-discretion jury-trial sentencing sixth-amendment Does Nebraska's capital sentencing scheme requiring a three-judge panel, rather than a jury, to impose a sentence of death violate the Eighth Amendmen…
18-8386 Michael Apelt v. Charles L. Ryan, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections Ninth Circuit 2019-03-12 Denied Amici (1)IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing evidentiary-hearing fact-finding federal-habeas federal-habeas-corpus habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mental-illness mental-impairment prejudice strickland-standard strickland-v-washington When determining if a capital defendant was prejudiced by counsel's deficient performance during state sentencing, whether the federal court may bypas…
18-8323 Bryan Frederick Jennings v. Florida Florida 2019-03-07 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing death-penalty death-penalty-review eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment hurst-v-state jury-recommendation newly-discovered-evidence Whether the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments require the law of Hurst v. State to be factored into the analysis of the likelihood of a less severe sen…
18-8002 Brad Hunter Smith v. Arkansas Arkansas 2019-02-15 Denied IFP aggravating-circumstance aggravating-circumstances arbitrary-imposition capital-sentencing death-penalty eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment mitigating-circumstance mitigating-circumstances Whether the Arkansas Supreme Court's holding that a capital-sentencing jury permissibly declined to weigh an existent statutory mitigating circumstanc…
18-7442 Kevin Underwood v. Mike Carpenter, Warden Tenth Circuit 2019-01-16 Denied IFP aggravating-circumstances apprendi-v-new-jersey beyond-reasonable-doubt capital-punishment capital-punishment-scheme capital-sentencing death-penalty due-process jury-findings jury-instructions mitigating-circumstances reasonable-doubt supreme-court-precedent tenth-circuit Whether the Tenth Circuit's decision conflicts with Apprendi v. New Jersey and Ring v. Arizona
18-7091 Steven Anthony Butler v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2018-12-18 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing competence competency-evaluation ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel investigation judicial-process judicial-review mental-competence mental-health mitigating-evidence procedural-fairness When must the Court exercise its supervisory power to assure the fairness of the judicial process?
18-6882 Willie Seth Crain, Jr. v. Florida Florida 2018-11-30 Denied IFP remedies prior constitutional defects in capital which requires unanimous jury findings of aggrava advisory-sentencing-panel aggravating-circumstances caldwell-v-mississippi capital-sentencing civil-rights constitutional-error death-penalty death-penalty-sentencing due-process harmless-error Hurst-decision hurst-v-florida jury-instructions jury-role jury-unanimity mitigating-circumstances sentencing sentencing-procedure Whether the Hurst error is harmless in light of the jury's diminished sense of responsibility as an advisory panel under Caldwell v. Mississippi
18-6877 Richard Earl Shere, Jr. v. Florida Florida 2018-11-29 Denied IFP capital-sentencing cruel-and-unusual-punishment due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection fourteenth-amendment jury-trial-rights retroactivity Whether the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of Equal Protection and the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of capricious capital sentencing impose limits…
18-6849 Steven James v. Massachusetts Massachusetts 2018-11-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review constitutional-rights due-process federal-constitutional-rights jdb-v-north-carolina jury-instructions juvenile-brain-science juvenile-homicide juvenile-justice juvenile-rights miller-retroactivity miller-v-alabama retroactivity sentencing-standards Whether the Massachusetts statute M.G.L. c.278 sec.33E and the state court judge's decision denying discretionary appellate review for juvenile homici…
18-6818 Ruben Rangel v. California California 2018-11-26 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing constitutional-amendments death-penalty due-process eighth-amendment jury-determination jury-trial sentencing Does California's death penalty statute violate the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments by failing to meaningfully narrow the class of dea…
18-679 Erick Virgil Hall v. Idaho Idaho 2018-11-23 Denied Amici (1) aggravating-circumstances capital-punishment capital-sentencing constitutional-standards death-penalty felony-murder heinous-atrocious-cruel jury-sentencing narrowing-requirement propensity-to-commit-murder sentencing-guidance utter-disregard Whether certain of the 'aggravating circumstances' used by Idaho to determine whether a defendant may be sentenced to death—those that ask whether the…
18-6776 Duane Eugene Owen v. Florida Florida 2018-11-21 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing cruel-and-unusual-punishment due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection jury-trial retroactivity state-court Whether the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of Equal Protection and the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of capricious capital sentencing impose limits…
18-6709 Lawrence Alfred Landrum v. Ohio Ohio 2018-11-15 Denied IFP capital-sentencing death-penalty eighth-amendment judge-sentencing judicial-discretion jury-recommendation jury-sentencing jury-trial sixth-amendment spaziano-v-florida Is Ohio's death penalty scheme unconstitutional under Hurst v. Florida?
18-6059 Cedric Carter v. Ohio Ohio 2018-09-20 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing death-penalty eighth-amendment judge-sentencing jury-trial jury-verdict sentencing-phase sixth-amendment spaziano-v-florida Is Ohio's death penalty scheme unconstitutional under Hurst v. Florida?
18-5937 Charles Lee Burton v. Alabama Alabama 2018-09-11 Denied IFP aggravating-factors caldwell-v-mississippi capital-sentencing capital-sentencing-scheme constitutional-review death-penalty eighth-amendment evolving-standards-of-decency hurst-v-florida jury-instructions jury-recommendation mitigating-factors Whether Alabama's capital sentencing scheme is unconstitutional under Hurst v. Florida and Caldwell v. Mississippi
18-5837 David Lee Roberts v. Alabama Alabama 2018-08-30 Denied IFP capital-sentencing criminal-procedure death-penalty federal-law hurst-v-florida judicial-findings jury-sentencing jury-verdict retroactivity ring-v-arizona Did Hurst invalidate Alabama's capital sentencing scheme?
18-5546 Billie Wayne Coble v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2018-08-10 Denied IFP capital-case capital-sentencing constitutional-rights daubert daubert-standard due-process eighth-amendment expert-testimony future-dangerousness reliability Whether the Fifth Circuit and Texas courts improperly applied Barefoot v. Estelle to categorically foreclose claims that unreliable expert testimony o…
18-5437 Gary Richard Whitton v. Florida Florida 2018-08-02 Denied IFP advisory-jury capital-sentencing capricious due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection equal-protection-clause jury-trial jury-trial-rights retroactivity Whether the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of Equal Protection and the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of capricious capital sentencing impose limits…
18-5415 Louis B. Gaskin v. Florida Florida 2018-07-31 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing death-sentence due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection jury-trial retroactivity unconventional-rules Whether the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of Equal Protection and the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of capricious capital sentencing impose limits…
18-5377 Jeffrey Glenn Hutchinson v. Florida Florida 2018-07-27 Denied IFP capital-sentencing capital-sentencing,federal-constitutional-rights,w constitutional-waiver federal-constitutional-rights federal-rights hurst-v-florida jury-fact-finding penalty-jury prospective-waiver voluntary-waiver Can a defendant waive a federal constitutional right that was unknown and unrecognized at the time of the purported waiver?
18-5359 Ernest D. Suggs v. Florida Florida 2018-07-26 Denied IFP appellate-review caldwell-v-mississippi capital-sentencing death-penalty death-penalty-sentencing eighth-amendment hurst-v-florida judicial-responsibility jury-instructions jury-recommendation Does a Florida death sentence imposed pursuant to the capital sentencing scheme overruled in Hurst v. Florida, 136 S. Ct. 616 (2016), in a case where …
18-5303 Maurice Mason v. Ohio Ohio 2018-07-20 Denied IFP capital-sentencing death-penalty hurst-v-florida jury-decision jury-recommendation ohio-death-penalty ring-v-arizona sixth-amendment Does Ohio's death penalty scheme, classifying a jury's decision as a recommendation, accord with the Sixth Amendment right to trial by jury as articul…
18-5181 Michael Gordon Reynolds v. Florida Florida 2018-07-09 Denied Relisted (4)IFP caldwell-v-mississippi capital-sentencing death-penalty death-penalty-sentencing eighth-amendment hurst-error jury-instructions ring-v-arizona structural-error Whether the Florida Supreme Court's plurality decision rejecting Mr. Reynolds' Caldwell v. Mississippi, 472 U.S. 320 (1985) claim is error. The jury w…
18-5078 Bruce Pace v. Florida Florida 2018-07-03 Denied IFP arbitrary-application capital-sentencing disparate-treatment due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection fourteenth-amendment retroactivity Whether the Florida Supreme Court's application of only partial retroactivity of Hurst v. State and Hurst v. Florida violates the Eighth and Fourteent…
18-5081 Alvin Leroy Morton v. Florida Florida 2018-07-03 Denied IFP binding-precedent capital-sentencing criminal-procedure death-penalty death-penalty-sentencing federal-constitutional-rights judicial-discretion jury-instructions jury-responsibility jury-role sentencing-procedure structural-error unanimous-verdict Whether structural error occurs when the jury fails to return a verdict as to multiple critical elements necessary to impose the death penalty
18-5103 Jeffery Day Rieber v. Alabama Alabama 2018-07-03 Denied IFP appellate-counsel capital-sentencing eighth-amendment equal-protection ineffective-assistance judicial-override lesser-included-offense mitigating-evidence right-to-counsel sixth-amendment strickland-v-washington Did Mr. Rieber's trial counsel provide constitutionally ineffective assistance?
18-5037 Richard Eugene Hamilton v. Florida Florida 2018-06-29 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentence capital-sentencing eighth-amendment equal-protection fourteenth-amendment hurst-v-florida jury-determination retroactivity supremacy-clause Does the Florida Supreme Court's decision limiting the retroactivity of Hurst v. Florida violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments?
18-5054 Brandy Bain Jennings v. Florida Florida 2018-06-29 Denied IFP arbitrary-sentencing capital-punishment capital-sentencing disparate-treatment due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection fourteenth-amendment retroactivity Whether the Florida Supreme Court's application of only partial retroactivity of Hurst v. State and Hurst v. Florida violates the Eighth and Fourteent…
18-5060 Konstantinos X. Fotopoulos v. Florida Florida 2018-06-29 Denied IFP capital-sentencing due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection equal-protection-clause hurst-v-florida retroactivity ring-v-arizona state-court Whether the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of Equal Protection and the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of capricious capital sentencing impose limits…
18-5012 Ian Deco Lightbourne v. Florida Florida 2018-06-28 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-sentencing disparate-treatment due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection fourteenth-amendment retroactivity Whether Florida's limited retroactive application of its Eighth Amendment decision in Hurst v. State violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments
25A532 Bryan Frederick Jennings v. Florida, et al. Florida Denied capital-sentencing death-penalty due-process eighth-amendment fourteenth-amendment postconviction-counsel Whether the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments prohibit a state from executing a death-sentenced prisoner after systemic failures in postconviction coun…