No. 25-1045

Charles Albert Massey v. Joseph Walters, Director, Virginia Department of Corrections

Lower Court: Fourth Circuit
Docketed: 2026-03-04
Status: Pending
Type: Paid
Tags: confrontation-clause criminal-procedure cross-examination habeas-corpus preliminary-hearing unavailable-witness
Latest Conference: N/A
Question Presented (from Petition)

Does the Confrontation Clause allow the Petitioner to be convicted at trial—using preliminary hearing testimony of an unavailable witness—of an offense that was not charged at the time of the preliminary hearing?

Does a preliminary hearing provide an "adequate opportunity" for cross-examination under the Confrontation Clause when the most serious charge against the petitioner did not exist at the time of the hearing and the only witness at the hearing feigned memory loss?

Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether the Confrontation Clause permits conviction of an offense not charged at the preliminary hearing based on testimony of an unavailable witness who feigned memory loss at that hearing, when the defendant had no opportunity to cross-examine regarding the subsequently-charged offense

Docket Entries

2026-02-27
Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due April 3, 2026)
2025-12-19
Application (25A705) granted by The Chief Justice extending the time to file until February 27, 2026.
2025-12-15
Application (25A705) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from December 29, 2025 to February 27, 2026, submitted to The Chief Justice.

Attorneys

Charles Albert Massey
Joseph Douglas KingKing, Campbell, Poretz & Mitchell PLLC, Petitioner