| 25-6722 |
Joseph James Craver v. Eric Guerrero, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division, et al. |
Fifth Circuit |
2026-02-04 |
Pending |
IFP |
constitutional-rights habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel merits-review state-proceeding unexhausted-claims |
1. Is a defendant constitutionally entitled to have his unexhausted claims heard on the merits when Defendant was not afforded counsel in the initial … |
| 25-6388 |
James W. VanDivner, Jr. v. Laurel R. Harry, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, et al. |
Third Circuit |
2025-12-16 |
Pending |
Response WaivedIFP |
certificate-of-appealability habeas-corpus heat-of-passion ineffective-assistance-counsel suppressed-evidence voluntary-manslaughter |
Should a certificate of appealability have issued, where the suppressed evidence, considered cumulatively, would have placed a burden on the Commonwea… |
| 24-7181 |
Robert Carl Sharp v. United States |
Eighth Circuit |
2025-05-12 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
circuit-split conflict-of-interest ineffective-assistance-counsel post-conviction-relief sentencing-enhancement sixth-amendment |
Does the Cuyler v. Sullivan standard for conflict of interest apply uniformly across circuits when assessing Sixth Amendment violations in successive … |
| 24-6699 |
Reginald Lee Clark v. Bryan Collier, Executive Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, et al. |
Fifth Circuit |
2025-03-04 |
Denied |
IFP |
constitutional-rights due-process equitable-tolling habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel state-action |
Does Equitable Tolling or the Accrual Rule apply to 28 USC §2244(d) when previously concealed material information about trial counsel's deficient per… |
| 24-6676 |
Louis Angel Mercado v. Ricky D. Dixon, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, et al. |
Eleventh Circuit |
2025-02-28 |
Denied |
Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (3)IFP |
appellate-procedure brief-filing cronic-standard ineffective-assistance-counsel presumed-prejudice state-appeal |
Whether prejudice should be presumed under United States v. Cronic when defense counsel fails to file an appellee's brief under a state-initiated appe… |
| 24-581 |
Utah v. Douglas A. Lovell |
Utah |
2024-11-26 |
Denied |
Relisted (2) |
aggravating-factors criminal-sentencing death-penalty ineffective-assistance-counsel mitigation-evidence strickland-standard |
Did the Utah Supreme Court violate binding case law by improperly assessing Strickland deficient performance and prejudice in a death penalty case inv… |
| 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 |
| 23-6833 |
Jason Matthew Karr v. Colorado |
Colorado |
2024-02-26 |
Denied |
IFP |
appointment-of-counsel clearly-established-federal-law colorado-supreme-court constitutional-review due-process-rights evidentiary-hearing federal-law-application ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel sixth-amendment strickland-standard strickland-v-washington |
whether-the-colorado-supreme-court-held-the-petitioner-to-a-higher-standard-for-pleading-ineffective-assistance-of-counsel |
| 23-6014 |
Curtis Conway Bailey v. Bryan Morrison, Warden |
Sixth Circuit |
2023-11-15 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
criminal-sexual-conduct direct-appeal due-process immutable-fact ineffective-assistance-counsel judicial-notice mandatory-minimum mandatory-minimum-sentence michigan-law sentencing |
Whether a trial court can find the fact of a defendant's age as an element of the offense of first-degree criminal sexual conduct under Michigan law |
| 23A335 |
Simeon Bozic v. Pennsylvania |
Pennsylvania |
2023-10-13 |
Presumed Complete |
|
due-process-clause evidence-of-innocence fourteenth-amendment ineffective-assistance-counsel post-conviction-relief shinn-v-ramirez |
Whether a state court conviction violates the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment when photographic evidence of innocence was not presented… |
| 22-7543 |
Dwayne Mitchell Littlejohn v. United States |
Fourth Circuit |
2023-05-12 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
all-writs-act coram-nobis criminal-procedure custody due-process ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel novelty-of-legal-interpretation sixth-amendment |
Whether a defendant's reliance on erroneous advice from counsel, the Court of Appeals and novelty of a legal interpretation constitutes 'valid reasons… |
| 22-6690 |
Steven Vernon Bixby v. Bryan P. Stirling, Commissioner, South Carolina Department of Corrections, et al. |
Fourth Circuit |
2023-02-02 |
Denied |
IFP |
certificate-of-appealability death-penalty federal-courts federal-review habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mental-illness |
Whether 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1), F-R.A.P. 22(b) and this Court's decisions in Miller-El v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322 (2003), Barefoot v. Estelle, 463 U.S.… |
| 22-6007 |
Jerry Word v. John Christiansen, Warden |
Sixth Circuit |
2022-11-07 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
civil-procedure due-process evidentiary-hearing fourth-amendment fraud-upon-court fraud-upon-the-court ineffective-assistance-counsel prosecutorial-misconduct remand search-and-seizure standing |
Whether lower courts may reject a claim of fraud upon the court without addressing the issue or remanding the case |
| 22-5762 |
Jonathan Mattox v. Arizona |
Arizona |
2022-10-04 |
Denied |
Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP |
appeal arizona-rule-criminal-procedure civil-rights criminal-procedure due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel newly-discovered-evidence post-conviction-relief sentencing standard-of-review statutory-interpretation |
Correct interpretation of ARS 28-1382(A) and how it should be applied |
| 22-5536 |
Mikal D. Mahdi v. Bryan P. Stirling, Commissioner, South Carolina Department of Corrections, et al. |
Fourth Circuit |
2022-09-08 |
Denied |
IFP |
capital-mitigation ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel investigation-into-mitigating-evidence mental-health-background mitigating-evidence post-conviction-review sixth-amendment traumatic-background trial-investigation |
Did the state post-conviction court misapply this Court's Sixth Amendment precedent when it held that Mikal Mahdi's trial attorneys reasonably ended t… |
| 22-5103 |
Chico Jermell Carraway v. United States |
Third Circuit |
2022-07-13 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
2255-motion 28-usc-2255 evidentiary-hearing ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel plea-agreement plea-bargaining rule-11 rule-11-procedure sentencing sentencing-hearing |
Whether a defendant is entitled to an evidentiary hearing under 28 U.S.C. § 2255(b) to prove prejudice from an unkept promise of counsel concerning se… |
| 21-7582 |
Francisco Abreu Tartabull v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2022-04-08 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
11th-circuit 28-usc-2255 certificate-of-appealability district-court eleventh-circuit evidentiary-hearing habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel section-2255 |
Whether the Eleventh Circuit's denial of a certificate of appealability, where the district court erred or alternatively abused its discretion by deny… |
| 21-7392 |
Jeffery Neil Brantley v. Ashley Moody, Attorney General of Florida, et al. |
Eleventh Circuit |
2022-03-16 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
civil-rights constitutional-privacy due-process federal-habeas-corpus financial-records habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel judicial-review state-constitutional-rights supremacy-clause |
Does the Supremacy Clause preempt the states from creating a constitutional right of privacy that grants individuals a legitimate expectation of priva… |
| 21-6863 |
Nesly Loute v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2022-01-14 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
abuse-of-discretion appellate-review certificate-of-appealability district-court evidentiary-hearing habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel remand section-2255 |
Whether the Eleventh Circuit's denial of a certificate of appealability |
| 21-6439 |
John Joseph Rushinsky, Jr. v. David Shinn, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, et al. |
Ninth Circuit |
2021-11-30 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
burden-of-proof constitutional-rights criminal-law criminal-procedure due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel prejudice strickland-standard |
May the state, consistent with Due Process, criminalize innocent behavior? |
| 21-6227 |
Misael Cordero v. Jonathan Gramp, Administrator, East Jersey State Prison |
Third Circuit |
2021-11-09 |
Denied |
IFP |
circuit-split due-process effective-assistance-of-counsel false-testimony government-misconduct habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel sixth-amendment |
Whether a due process violation occurs when the government knowingly uses false testimony even if the defense knows of the false testimony |
| 20-7060 |
Charles Lee Mosier, Sr. v. Texas |
Texas |
2021-02-05 |
Denied |
IFP |
collateral-proceedings constitutional-review constitutional-standards due-process evidence ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel post-conviction-relief strickland-standard strickland-v-washington |
Does a state's initial-review post-conviction collateral proceedings meet constitutional standards when those proceedings fail to provide a prisoner t… |
| 20-975 |
Freddie Owens v. Bryan P. Stirling, Director, South Carolina Department of Corrections, et al. |
Fourth Circuit |
2021-01-22 |
Denied |
|
certificate-of-appealability constitutional-claim constitutional-rights federal-appeals-court habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel martinez-standard martinez-v-ryan procedural-default |
Whether the standard for determining if an underlying constitutional claim is 'substantial' under Martinez v. Ryan is the same as the standard for obt… |
| 20-6766 |
Steven Justin Villalona v. United States |
Eleventh Circuit |
2021-01-04 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
28-usc-2255 due-process evidentiary-hearing haines-v-kerner ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel judicial-recusal pro-se-pleadings recusal section-2255 |
What rights under the Due Process clause do prisoners have during the course of 28 U.S.C. § 2255 proceedings? |
| 20-5570 |
Richard Bernard Moore v. Bryan P. Stirling, Director, South Carolina Department of Corrections, et al. |
Fourth Circuit |
2020-09-02 |
Denied |
Amici (2)IFP |
adjudicated-on-the-merits fair-presentation fair-presentation-doctrine habeas habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel martinez-rule martinez-v-ryan new-evidence procedural-default state-post-conviction-review |
In determining whether a claim has been fairly presented to, and 'adjudicated on the merits' by, the state courts for § 2254(d) purposes, must a feder… |
| 20-5066 |
Everett L. Spillard v. Superior Court of California, Humboldt County, et al. |
California |
2020-07-15 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
appellate-review constitutional-rights due-process federal-courts habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel judicial-misconduct sixth-amendment state-courts transcripts |
Can the Superior Court and its DA violate due process rights and omit judicial mistakes/misconduct from transcripts? |
| 19-8903 |
William Clyde Gibson, III v. Indiana |
Indiana |
2020-07-06 |
Denied |
IFP |
conflict-of-interest constitutional-claim criminal-appeal culyer-v-sullivan due-process ineffective-assistance-counsel post-conviction-proceedings public-defender strickland-standard strickland-v-washington |
Whether the Indiana Supreme Court erred in determining Gibson's conflict of interest claim should be analyzed under Strickland v. Washington rather th… |
| 19-8388 |
Terrence Jamal Williams v. Sherry L. Burt, Warden |
Sixth Circuit |
2020-05-04 |
Denied |
IFP |
constitutional-error courtroom-closure due-process fundamental-fairness fundamental-unfairness ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel judicial-discretion sixth-amendment waiver-doctrine weaver-v-massachusetts |
Whether counsel's failure to object to the closure of the courtroom because he did not want to draw attention to his conduct meets the Weaver v Massac… |
| 19-7564 |
In Re Michael Dewayne Seibert |
|
2020-02-06 |
Denied |
IFP |
criminal-procedure death-penalty-case due-process fraud-on-court fraud-on-the-court habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel jurisdiction jurisdiction-challenge pro-se-representation resentencing resentencing-hearing void-judgment |
Can a defendant raise a claim of fraud on the court pro se when their counsel refuses to do so? |
| 19-7503 |
Michael Bernard Bell v. Florida |
Florida |
2020-01-31 |
Denied |
IFP |
buck-v-davis constitutional-right constitutional-rights criminal-trial ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel racial-animus racial-bias retroactive-application strickland-standard strickland-v-washington |
Does the decision in Buck v. Davis, 137 S.Ct. 759 (2017), which rejected the improper injection of racial animus, bias, or prejudice into a criminal t… |
| 19-6270 |
Darren Paul Odell v. Minnesota |
Minnesota |
2019-10-15 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
civil-rights constitutional-rights due-process expert-witness ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel interests-of-justice mental-illness newly-discovered-evidence post-conviction-relief professional-ethics prosecutorial-misconduct standing time-bar-exception |
Whether the Minnesota courts erred in denying Mr. Odell's post-conviction relief petition based on damaging letters from the state's expert witness, v… |
| 19-5390 |
In Re Francisco Narvaez |
|
2019-07-30 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
adequate-representation civil-rights constitutional-rights due-process effective-assistance-of-counsel fifth-amendment ineffective-assistance-counsel legal-representation procedural-error professional-conduct sixth-amendment speedy-trial |
Whether the petitioner's Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel was violated due to his attorneys' failure to file a motion to suppr… |
| 19-5291 |
Tyrone Jordan v. Charles L. Ryan, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections, et al. |
Ninth Circuit |
2019-07-23 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
burden-of-proof constitutional-review habeas-corpus habeas-proceeding iac-claim ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel martinez-standard martinez-v-ryan post-conviction-counsel procedural-default standard-of-review trial-counsel |
What is the District Court's duty and what standard is the Court to apply to a habeas proceeding presenting a substantial and meritorious IAC claim of… |
| 19-5220 |
Hernardo Medina-Villegas v. United States |
First Circuit |
2019-07-19 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
constitutional-claims due-process prejudice reasonableness sixth-amendment constitutional-rights due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel legal-standard prejudice reasonableness-standard sixth-amendment standard-of-reasonableness |
Did the trial and appellate counsel's performance fall below an objective standard of reasonableness and prejudice the petitioner? |
| 18-8623 |
Justin Cole Milam v. United States |
Fourth Circuit |
2019-03-29 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
appeal-waiver constitutional-review criminal-procedure due-process fifth-amendment fourteenth-amendment ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel plea-agreement plea-bargaining sentencing standard-of-review |
Are appeal waivers in federal criminal plea agreements unconstitutional? |
| 18-8586 |
Roderick Black v. United States |
Fourth Circuit |
2019-03-27 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
attorney-licensing constitutional-law constitutional-violation criminal-procedure due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel right-to-counsel sixth-amendment standing |
Whether the petitioner's sentence should be vacated in light of his trial attorney not being duly licensed to practice law in violation of his Sixth A… |
| 18-8565 |
Evender Gene Jackson v. Texas |
Texas |
2019-03-26 |
Denied |
IFP |
burden-of-proof constitutional-error direct-appeal harmless-error ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel jury-instruction jury-instructions standard-of-review strickland-standard strickland-test strickland-v-washington |
Whether a trial attorney's failure to object to the omission of a required jury instruction raises the burden of proof on direct appeal, where the out… |
| 18-6898 |
Joseph C. Garcia v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division |
Fifth Circuit |
2018-12-04 |
Denied |
IFP |
18-u.s.c.-§-3599 18-usc-3599 certificate-of-appealability death-penalty federal-habeas-corpus habeas-corpus indigent-defendant ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel rule-60(b)(6) rule-60b |
Whether the denial of meaningful representation required by 18 U.S.C. § 3599 may cause a defect in the integrity of federal habeas proceedings that ca… |
| 18-6762 |
Edward Louis Thomas v. Texas |
Texas |
2018-11-20 |
Denied |
IFP |
criminal-procedure cumulative-error due-process habeas-corpus harrington-v-richter hinton-v-alabama ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel prejudice standard-of-review strickland-standard strickland-v-washington |
Whether the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals applied the wrong standard of review in analyzing the claims of deficient performance and prejudice by tri… |
| 18-640 |
Nicholas Bernard Acklin v. Alabama |
Alabama |
2018-11-16 |
Denied |
Amici (2) |
attorney-client-relationship conflict-of-interest criminal-defense death-penalty fourteenth-amendment ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel sixth-amendment third-party-payment |
Whether a criminal defendant is deprived of his Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment rights to conflict-free counsel |
| 18-6506 |
Guy Boudreaux, Jr. v. Timothy Hooper, Warden |
Fifth Circuit |
2018-10-30 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
access-to-courts access-to-justice civil-rights constitutional-rights due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel judicial-procedure legal-education legal-mail legal-representation pro-se pro-se-litigants pro-se-litigation procedural-error right-of-access-to-courts |
Is our system of justice truly just when it requires an attorney to attend six years of college prior to being permitted to practice law, but requires… |
| 18-6362 |
Edwin Darrell Lett v. Mississippi |
Mississippi |
2018-10-17 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
14th-amendment 6th-amendment civil-rights continuance counsel criminal-procedure death-penalty due-process fair-trial fourteenth-amendment ineffective-assistance-counsel sixth-amendment state-procedure trial |
Whether the petitioner's Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial was violated when the Mississippi Supreme Court failed to properly review the trial cou… |
| 18-6258 |
Steven Lazar v. Mark Capozza, Superintendent, State Correctional Institution at Fayette, et al. |
Third Circuit |
2018-10-09 |
Denied |
Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP |
aedpa aedpa-standard confession confession-voluntariness criminal-procedure due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel merits-adjudication reliability standard-of-review third-circuit-review voluntariness |
Did not the Pennsylvania state courts and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals convolute the difference between a confession's voluntariness and its rel… |
| 18-6032 |
D. L. v. Wisconsin |
Wisconsin |
2018-09-19 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
does-wisconsin's-sentencing-scheme-apply-to-juveni federal-habeas-proceedings habeas-corpus-review ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel juvenile-sentencing mandatory-life-sentence martinez-trevino-doctrine martinez-v-ryan miller-v-alabama procedural-default state-habeas state-habeas-proceedings trevino-v-thaler |
Can the exceptions excusing procedural default of ineffective assistance of trial counsel claims in the Martinez/Trevino doctrine apply to State Habea… |
| 18-5597 |
David E. Miller v. Tony Mays, Warden |
Sixth Circuit |
2018-08-15 |
Denied |
IFP |
buck-v-davis capital-punishment civil-rights due-process federal-civil-procedure ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel martinez-v-ryan rule-60b6 trevino-v-thaler |
Whether the change in law announced in Martinez and Trevino, when coupled with a particularly substantial deprivation of a capital defendant's right t… |
| 18-185 |
Connecticut v. Michael Skakel |
Connecticut |
2018-08-10 |
Denied |
Amici (1)Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) |
circuit-split constitutional-deficiency due-process ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel legal-representation overall-performance performance-evaluation single-error sixth-amendment strickland-standard strickland-v-washington |
Whether a court must evaluate counsel's overall performance in determining whether a single error is sufficiently egregious to render counsel's repres… |
| 18-5450 |
Amilcar Rivas-Rivera v. Pennsylvania |
Pennsylvania |
2018-08-07 |
Denied |
Relisted (2)IFP |
civil-procedure constitutional-rights due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel pcra plea-agreement post-conviction-relief prison-mailbox-rule standing state-law timeliness |
Whether the Pennsylvania lower court and appellate court's decision dismissing petitioner's second pro se PCRA petition as untimely is contrary to Pen… |
| 18-5389 |
Torrick Johntrelle Rodgers v. United States |
Fourth Circuit |
2018-07-30 |
Denied |
Response WaivedIFP |
exclusionary-rule fourth-amendment fruit-of-the-poisonous-tree fruits-of-poisonous-tree ineffective-assistance-counsel ineffective-assistance-of-counsel plea-bargaining probable-cause prosecutorial-misconduct search-and-seizure search-warrant sentencing warrant |
Whether the district court should have suppressed all of the fruits of the poisonous tree based upon the found to be corrupted officials and the illeg… |
| 18-5068 |
Taliyah Taylor v. Amy Lamanna, Acting Superintendent, Bedford Hills Correctional Facility |
Second Circuit |
2018-07-02 |
Denied |
IFP |
28-usc-2254 compulsory-process criminal-defense criminal-procedure-ineffective-assistance-of-couns depraved-indifference due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-counsel mental-disease-defect mental-disease-or-defect mental-health post-conviction-relief strickland-standard strickland-v-washington wiggins-v-smith |
Does defense counsel's failure to investigate and present available affirmative evidence of mental disease or defect constitute ineffective assistance… |