state-court-deference

32 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25A371 Rashun Suncar v. United States Fourth Circuit 2025-09-30 Presumed Complete categorical-approach controlled-substance fourth-circuit state-court-deference statutory-interpretation supreme-court-rule-10 Question not identified.
25A4 Karu Gene White v. Laura Plappert, Warden Sixth Circuit 2025-07-01 Presumed Complete certiorari-standard federal-review habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance state-court-deference supreme-court-precedent Question not identified.
23A1118 Darryl Scott Stinski v. Warden, Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison Eleventh Circuit 2024-06-17 Presumed Complete aedpa capital-punishment federal-review habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance state-court-deference Whether, where a habeas petitioner challenges state court factual findings "based entirely on the state record," a federal court reviews those finding…
23-6755 Robert Ybarra, Jr. v. William Gittere, Warden Ninth Circuit 2024-02-14 Denied IFP aedpa aedpa-deference atkins-v-virginia death-penalty federal-habeas habeas-corpus intellectual-disability state-court-deference state-court-review supreme-court-review Robert Ybarra, Jr., is on death row in Nevada. He is intellectually disabled. During a state court hearing on his claim under Atkins v. Virginia, 536 …
23-651 John Lowery v. Mike Parris, Warden Sixth Circuit 2023-12-15 Denied actual-innocence constitutional-claims constitutional-review credibility-findings eyewitness-recantation gateway-innocence recantation sixth-circuit sixth-circuit-deference state-court-deference suppressed-evidence I. Whether the Sixth Circuit, after applying a blanket rule of deference, erroneously deferred to the state court's credibility findings when reviewin…
23-31 Willie James Pye v. Shawn Emmons, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2023-07-11 Denied aedpa eleventh-circuit federal-habeas federal-review habeas-corpus state-court-decision state-court-deference statutory-interpretation wilson-v-sellers 1. Whether the Eleventh Circuit's novel construction of 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)—under which a state prisoner is ineligible for federal habeas relief even …
22-7244 Jose Ramon Cruz v. Bobby Lumpkin, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2023-04-10 Denied IFP certificate-of-appealability federal-review habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-of-counsel plea-bargaining sixth-amendment state-court-decision state-court-deference strickland strickland-standard When a State court's summary denial assumed the truth of the facts plead in a State habeas writ application and a Federal habeas court, pursuant to 28…
22-686 Crosley Alexander Green v. Ricky D. Dixon, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2023-01-24 Denied Amici (4)Response Waived admissibility AEDPA brady-v-maryland brady-violation comity constitutional-exhaustion federal-appellate-review federalism habeas-corpus prosecutorial-disclosure state-court-deference state-court-factfinding Principles of federalism and comity embodied in the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA), 28 U.S.C. § 2254, require deference to stat…
21-1053 Randall Hepp, Warden v. Danny L. Wilber Seventh Circuit 2022-01-28 Denied aedpa-review criminal-procedure deck-v-missouri due-process federal-habeas habeas-corpus judicial-restraint jury-trial shackling state-conviction state-court-deference During Danny Wilber's jury trial in 2005 for fatally shooting a man at a party, Wilber became increasingly belligerent with the Milwaukee County Circu…
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 U.S.C. § 2254's deference mandate and offend the principles o…
21-862 Samuel Hartman v. Dexter Payne, Director, Arkansas Division of Correction Eighth Circuit 2021-12-10 Denied Response Waived §2254-litigation 28-usc-2254 circuit-split comity comity-doctrine deference federal-habeas procedural-default state-court-deference state-post-conviction 1. Whether the majority of circuits are correct that comity prevents Federal courts in proceedings under 28 U.S.C. 2254 from overturning legal conclus…
21-5917 Darius Murphy v. Steven Johnson, Administrator, New Jersey State Prison, et al. Third Circuit 2021-10-07 Denied IFP brady-v-maryland brady-violation due-process exculpatory-evidence federal-court-review federal-review habeas-corpus state-court-deference state-court-procedure statutory-deference The question presented to this Court is whether the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit improperly applied 28 U.S.C. §2254(d) , when it gave s…
21-475 Deanna Brookhart, Warden v. Kenneth Smith Seventh Circuit 2021-09-28 Denied Response RequestedRelisted (2) 28-usc-2254 appellate-review evidence-sufficiency evidence-weighing federal-habeas habeas-corpus habeas-relief jackson-v-virginia reasonable-doubt standard-of-review state-court-deference Respondent Kenneth Smith has been tried and convicted on three separate occasions for Raul Briseno's murder. During the last two trials, the jury hear…
21-5145 Richard Demon Donaldson v. Bobby Lumpkin, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2021-07-21 Denied IFP 6th-amendment certificate-of-appealability constitutional-claim due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance sixth-amendment state-court-deference statutory-interpretation WHETHER THE COURT OF APPEALS ERRED AND ABUSED.ITS DISCRETION IN REFUSING AND/OR DECLINING TO ISSUE A CERTIFICATE OF APPEALABILITY UPON THE CONTENTION …
20-7782 Ronald W. Greer v. Sherie Korneman, Warden Eighth Circuit 2021-04-15 Denied Response WaivedIFP certificate-of-appealability conflict-of-interest constitutional-rights cuyler-v-sullivan doyle-v-ohio doyle-violation harmless-error ineffective-counsel miranda-rights miranda-v-arizona newly-discovered-evidence state-court-deference I. HAS A PETITIONER SUBSTANTIALLY SHOWN THE DENIAL OF A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT WARRANTING ISSUANCE OF A COA WHEN THE DISTRICT COURT AFFORDS DEFERENCE …
20-1084 Jefferson S. Dunn, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections v. Matthew Reeves Eleventh Circuit 2021-02-09 Judgment Issued Amici (1)Relisted (8) aedpa aedpa-standard comity federal-review federalism habeas-corpus habeas-review ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel state-court-deference strickland-standard strickland-v-washington The question presented is whether the Eleventh Circuit violated § 2254(d) by readily attributing error to the state court.
20-5802 Timothy W. Saunders v. Terry Raybon, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2020-09-25 Denied IFP due-process exhausted-claim exhaustion federal-habeas federal-habeas-review martinez-v-ryan merits-adjudication post-conviction post-conviction-relief procedural-default state-court-deference state-court-proceedings What deference, if any, is due to a state court decision on an exhausted post-conviction claim when the decision arises from a system that does not gi…
19-8352 K. S., III v. Dana Price, et al. Pennsylvania 2020-04-24 Denied IFP best-interests-of-child civil-rights due-process family-law involuntary-termination parental-rights standing state-court-deference substantial-contact termination-of-parental-rights Mr. Simmons alleges that the Court of Common Pleas. Superior Court and the Supreme Court erred in that natural father failed to show that he made the …
19-7818 Kristopher Eric Benjamin v. Tom McGinley, Superintendent, State Correctional Institution at Coal Township, et al. Third Circuit 2020-02-28 Denied IFP aedpa certificate-of-appealability constitutional-claims de-novo-review due-process habeas-corpus procedural-default state-court-deference strickland-v-washington I. WHETHER UNDER §2254(e)(l) DISTRICT COURT REQUIRED TO GIVE DEFERENCE TO STATE APPELLATE COURT'S FINDING OF HISTORICAL FACTS AND UPON FINDING THAT P…
19-7646 Davion Fitzgerald v. United States Ninth Circuit 2020-02-19 Denied Response WaivedIFP categorical-approach criminal-law due-deference federalism federalism-principles judicial-deference judicial-interpretation judicial-subjectivity sentencing-guidelines state-court-deference state-courts state-criminal-statutes state-statute statutory-interpretation May a federal court dismiss state precedent interpreting the state's own criminal statute as an "odd hypothetical" based on "legal imagination" to sub…
19-6558 Antonio Lebaron Melton v. Mark S. Inch, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2019-11-07 Denied IFP due-process federal-court-review federal-courts habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel judicial-findings state-court state-court-deference strickland-v-washington trial-strategy wilson-v-sellers witness-investigation 1. Whether Wilson v. Sellers requires faithful adherence to the last reasoned decision of a state court, or may federal courts bolster such a decision…
19-6351 Geoffrey Elkington v. Michael Clark, Superintendent, State Correctional Institution at Albion, et al. Third Circuit 2019-10-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review criminal-procedure due-process evidence exculpatory-evidence habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel prejudice prejudice-standard state-court-deference trial-counsel Did the Third Circuit err in deferring to the State Court finding that Petitioner was not prejudiced by Petitioner's trial attorney failing to enter i…
19-6298 John Steven Gardner v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2019-10-17 Denied IFP 28-usc-2254 certificate-of-appealability federal-court-review federal-habeas-proceedings fifth-circuit habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel miller-el-standard state-court-deference state-habeas strickland-v-washington wilson-v-sellers In Wilson v. Sellers, this Court instructed that a federal court should train its attention on the particular legal and factual reasons of the state-c…
19-5862 Jorge Alberto Ramirez v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2019-09-11 Denied IFP circuit-court deference-to-state-courts federal-habeas-corpus federal-habeas-relief federal-review fifth-circuit habeas-corpus habeas-proceedings ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel standard-of-review state-court-deference strickland-standard strickland-v-washington In state habeas proceedings, Ramirez alleged that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate for, develop and present evidence in su…
19-5814 Luis Armando Mesta v. John Myrick Ninth Circuit 2019-09-04 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-advocacy appellate-procedure constitutional-rights counsel-performance ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel new-trial sixth-amendment sixth-amendment-right-to-counsel state-court-deference state-court-review strickland-v-washington Twelve days after Mr. Mesta's appellate brief was filed, the Oregon Supreme Court took review of a legal principle that was at issue in Mr. Mesta's ca…
19-5438 Jimmy Fletcher Meders v. Benjamin Ford, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2019-08-02 Denied IFP 28-usc-2254 anti-flyspecking-rule circuit-court-procedure clearly-established-law eleventh-circuit federal-court-deference federal-review habeas habeas-corpus habeas-corpus-review section-2254 standard-of-review state-court-decision state-court-deference wilson-v-sellers 1. Whether the Eleventh Circuit's adherence to its self-styled "no-grading-papers, anti-flyspecking rule" for the application of 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d) i…
19-5332 Todd J. Tibbs v. Randy Grounds, Warden Ninth Circuit 2019-07-25 Denied IFP aedpa appellate-review factual-determination factual-determinations federal-court-review federal-habeas habeas-corpus prejudice-standard some-evidence standard state-court-deference 1. Does federal habeas law allow the application of a "some evidence" standard in upholding state court factual determinations? 2. Is it correct to m…
18-1421 Nassau County District Attorney's Office v. Mark Orlando Second Circuit 2019-05-14 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (23) aedpa aedpa-deference bruton-v-united-states confrontation-clause constitutional-interpretation deferential-review habeas-corpus murder-conviction state-court-deference supreme-court-precedent teague-v-lane tennessee-v-street 1. Did the Court of Appeals violate the deferential review requirements of 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d) by setting aside a state murder conviction based on its…
18-8666 Tremane Wood v. Mike Carpenter, Interim Warden Tenth Circuit 2019-04-02 Denied IFP circuit-court-review death-penalty federal-review habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mitigating-evidence state-court-deference strickland-standard strickland-test Tremane Wood was one of four defendants charged with crimes related to the death of Ronnie Wipf, which occurred in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on January …
18-7431 Teddrick Batiste v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2019-01-15 Denied IFP 28-usc-2254 death-penalty due-process evidentiary-hearing habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance organic-brain-damage procedural-bar state-court-deference wilson-v-sellers The post-conviction state court process in Batiste's case was inadequate for ascertaining the truth and lacked critical components of an adjudication …
18-7414 Ray McArthur Freeney v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2019-01-15 Denied Amici (1)IFP 28-usc-2254 civil-procedure civil-rights due-process evidence habeas-corpus material-evidence notice-and-hearing procedural-fairness state-court state-court-deference statutory-interpretation 1) Whether deference is accorded to a state court decision under 28 U.S.C. §2254(d) where the state court received and relied upon material evidence a…
18-6409 Scotty Garnell Morrow v. Benjamin Ford, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2018-10-23 Denied Amici (1)IFP 28-usc-2254 clear-error due-process fact-finding federal-review habeas-corpus reasoned-opinion section-2254 state-court-adjudication state-court-deference Question 1 In Harrington v. Richter, 562 U.S. 86 (2011), this Court announced that where a state court issues a summary denial of a habeas petitioner…