capital-case

119 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25A779 Malik Allah-U-Akbar, fka Odraye G. Jones v. Margaret Bradshaw, Warden Sixth Circuit 2026-01-05 Application capital-case due-process extraordinary-relief federal-courts habeas-corpus writ-compliance Question not identified.
25A676 Jimmy ONeal Spencer v. Alabama Alabama 2025-12-09 Application capital-case constitutional-rights criminal-appeals death-penalty due-process habeas-corpus Question not identified.
25A533 James W. VanDivner, Jr. v. Laurel R. Harry, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, et al. Third Circuit 2025-11-07 Application capital-case certificate-of-appealability circuit-court federal-public-defender habeas-corpus post-conviction Question not identified.
24A1277 Samuel Fields v. Laura Plappert, Warden Sixth Circuit 2025-06-24 Presumed Complete capital-case clearly-established-law confrontation-clause extrinsic-evidence habeas-corpus section-2254 Question not identified.
24A1239 Robert Keith Woodall v. Kentucky Kentucky 2025-06-13 Presumed Complete capital-case constitutional-error death-penalty fair-trial sentencing supreme-court-review Question not identified.
24A1094 Nicholas Noelani D. Smith v. Alabama Alabama 2025-05-14 Presumed Complete capital-case certiorari constitutional-review death-penalty direct-appeal penalty-proceeding Question not identified.
24A836 Cedric Allen Ricks v. Eric Guerrero, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2025-02-28 Presumed Complete capital-case certificate-of-appealability federal-habeas-corpus fifth-amendment fourteenth-amendment sixth-amendment Question not identified.
24-6336 Christopher Michael Montoya v. Arizona Arizona 2025-01-17 Denied IFP capital-case constitutional-rights due-process jury-impartiality morgan-precedent peremptory-strikes Did the Arizona Supreme Court deprive Mr. Montoya of the right to an impartial jury and to due process of law guaranteed to him under the Fifth, Sixth…
24A630 Jesse Guardado v. Ricky D. Dixon, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections Eleventh Circuit 2024-12-27 Presumed Complete capital-case certiorari constitutional-claims death-penalty eleventh-circuit habeas-corpus Question not identified.
24-6038 Robert Wharton v. Joseph Terra, Superintendent, State Correctional Institution at Phoenix Third Circuit 2024-11-26 Denied Amici (1)IFP capital-case harmless-error juror-prejudice mitigation-evidence strickland-prejudice wiggins-standard 1. How should the "one juror" standard of prejudice set forth in Wiggins v. Smith be applied where the mitigation that counsel failed to investigate w…
24A448 Christopher Michael Montoya v. Arizona Arizona 2024-11-05 Presumed Complete capital-case for-cause-strike fourteenth-amendment jury-selection sixth-amendment witherspoon-standard Question not identified.
24A347 Blaine Keith Milam v. Texas Texas 2024-10-11 Presumed Complete atkins-v-virginia capital-case death-penalty eighth-amendment habeas-corpus intellectual-disability Question not identified.
24A283 Joseph William Hart v. Chance Andes, Acting Warden Ninth Circuit 2024-09-20 Presumed Complete brady-evidence capital-case habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance penalty-phase prosecutorial-misconduct Question not identified.
24-5382 Michael Dale Iervolino v. Alabama Alabama 2024-08-23 Denied Relisted (3)IFP capital-case change-of-venue constitutional-rights due-process fair-trial media-prejudice In this capital case, where the victim wa s the son of the District Attorney and the case generated highly prejudicial me dia coverage across a small …
24-5308 Charles Grover Brant v. Ricky D. Dixon, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2024-08-13 Denied IFP capital-case certificate-of-appealability collateral-review habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-of-counsel strickland-standard 1. Whether a federal circuit court is patently wrong in denying a Certificate of Appealability in a capital case where a state habeas petitioner ident…
23A1127 Sheldon Hannibal v. Laurel Harry, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, et al. Third Circuit 2024-06-20 Presumed Complete capital-case criminal-conviction federal-review habeas-corpus post-conviction-relief third-circuit Question not identified.
23-7764 Leon Davis, Jr. v. Florida, et al. Florida 2024-06-20 Denied IFP bad-acts ballistics-evidence capital-case criminal-evidence criminal-procedure-ineffective-assistance-of-couns ineffective-assistance other-crimes-evidence postconviction-review prejudice strickland-standard strickland-v-washington trial-counsel Whether in a case with no direct evidence connecting the defendant to the crime except the introduction of evidence of other crimes or bad acts, the S…
23-7577 Chuong Duong Tong v. Bobby Lumpkin, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2024-05-28 Denied IFP capital-case capital-punishment due-process good-cause ineffective-assistance post-conviction-relief postconviction-counsel potentially-meritorious rhines-standard rhines-v-weber voir-dire L Did the Court of Appeals err in holding that ineffective assistance of postconviction counsel cannot establish "good cause" under Rhines v. Weber? A…
23A1043 Nidal M. Hasan v. United States Armed Forces 2024-05-22 Presumed Complete appellate-review capital-case court-martial military-justice service-member-rights supreme-court-jurisdiction Question not identified.
23-7509 Thomas J. Moore v. Ricky D. Dixon, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections Eleventh Circuit 2024-05-20 Denied IFP burden-of-proof capital-case criminal-procedure due-process fair-trial ineffective-assistance prosecutorial-misconduct religious-arguments testimonial-evidence trial-counsel In a capital case where the petitioner has always maintained his innocence, where the petitioner testified in his own defense, and where the prosecuti…
23A945 Clarence Mack v. Margaret Bradshaw, Warden Sixth Circuit 2024-04-22 Presumed Complete capital-case certificate-of-appealability constitutional-claims death-sentence habeas-corpus sixth-circuit Question not identified.
23-7175 Philip Ayala v. Nelson Alves, Superintendent, Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Norfolk First Circuit 2024-04-09 Denied Response WaivedIFP capital-case criminal-procedure due-process eyewitness-testimony habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mental-health-records When a capital case entirely depends on the testimony of one eyewitness, where there was no physical or forensic evidence to connect the Petitioner to…
23A876 Brian J. Dorsey v. David Vandergriff, Warden Missouri 2024-04-02 Denied capital-case conflict-of-interest effective-assistance flat-fee-contract ineffective-counsel sixth-amendment Whether, where appointed counsel in a capital case had a flat-fee contract and failed to investigate or challenge a capital murder charge to the clien…
23A868 Steven Vernon Bixby v. Bryan P. Stirling, Commissioner, South Carolina Department of Corrections, et al. Fourth Circuit 2024-03-28 Presumed Complete capital-case certiorari-extension constitutional-review death-penalty fourth-circuit habeas-corpus Question not identified.
23A864 Manuel Sepulveda v. Laurel Harry, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, et al. Third Circuit 2024-03-27 Presumed Complete capital-case death-penalty habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance penalty-phase post-conviction Question not identified.
23A756 Harvey Windsor v. Steven T. Marshall, Attorney General of Alabama, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2024-02-16 Presumed Complete capital-case certificate-of-appealability constitutional-challenges death-penalty eleventh-circuit habeas-corpus Question not identified.
23-6703 Christopher Collings v. David Vandergriff, Warden Eighth Circuit 2024-02-08 Denied IFP appeals capital-case capital-punishment certificate-of-appealability civil-procedure due-process eighth-circuit exhaustion-doctrine habeas-corpus rhines-stay 1. Is a COA required to appeal a district court's denial of a motion for stay of the habeas proceedings made under Rhines v. Weber, 544 U.S. 269 (2005…
23-6535 Ryan C. Armstrong v. United States Federal Government, et al. Seventh Circuit 2024-01-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP capital-case civil-procedure civil-rights due-process federal-government judicial-circuit law-enforcement mental-health standing state-government state-jurisdiction I am not presenting my case to the Supreme Court with a question. My case is being presented to the Supreme Court as a matter of right. My case is a c…
23A663 Brandon De McCall v. Texas Texas 2024-01-18 Presumed Complete capital-case constitutional-review death-penalty due-process ineffective-assistance texas-criminal-procedure Question not identified.
23A654 Isaiah Glenndell Tryon v. Christe Quick, Acting Warden, Oklahoma State Penitentiary Tenth Circuit 2024-01-16 Presumed Complete capital-case constitutional-error death-penalty eighth-amendment fair-trial sentencing-review Question not identified.
23-6415 Christian Cruz v. Florida Florida 2024-01-05 Denied IFP capital-case capital-punishment criminal-procedure death-penalty due-process equal-protection first-degree-murder pulley-v-harris relative-culpability sentencing supreme-court-review WHETHER THE AFFIRMANCE BY THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA OF DEFENDANT'S CONVICTION FOR FIRST DEGREE MURDER AND SENTENCE OF DEATH WAS CLEARL…
23A613 Michael Jonathon Carlson v. Arizona Arizona 2024-01-03 Presumed Complete capital-case constitutional-error criminal-procedure fair-trial postconviction-relief supreme-court-review Question not identified.
23A583 Ellis Louis Mashburn, Jr. v. John Hamm, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Corrections Eleventh Circuit 2023-12-26 Presumed Complete capital-case constitutional-challenge death-penalty eleventh-circuit federal-review habeas-corpus Question not identified.
23A572 Darrell Wayne Frederick v. Christe Quick, Warden Tenth Circuit 2023-12-21 Presumed Complete capital-case constitutional-error death-penalty eighth-amendment fair-sentencing habeas-corpus Question not identified.
23A477 Christopher Collings v. David Vandergriff, Warden Eighth Circuit 2023-11-28 Presumed Complete capital-case certificate-of-appealability eighth-circuit federal-review habeas-corpus procedural-default Question not identified.
23A275 Timothy Ray Jones, Jr. v. South Carolina South Carolina 2023-09-28 Presumed Complete capital-case due-process eighth-amendment fourth-amendment illegal-roadblock insanity-verdict 1. Whether the South Carolina Supreme Court erred by holding it was not error to refuse to instruct the jury of the effect of a not guilty by reason o…
23-248 James Garfield Broadnax v. Texas Texas 2023-09-14 Denied Amici (1)Relisted (9) batson-challenge batson-violations black-defendant capital-case equal-protection habeas-corpus jury-selection prosecutorial-misconduct racial-discrimination white-victims Whether the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals' decision that Mr. Broadnax failed to establish a prima facie equal protection claim conflicts with this C…
23-5553 Randy Haight v. Scott Jordan, Warden Sixth Circuit 2023-09-12 Denied IFP capital-case capital-punishment due-process evidentiary-hearing expert-testimony habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mental-health mental-retardation statutory-interpretation 1. Where a state trial court resolves disputed issues of material fact without an evidentiary hearing and ignores relevant expert opinion, is the stat…
23-5038 Kurt Michaels v. Ron Davis, Warden, et al. Ninth Circuit 2023-07-05 Denied Relisted (13)IFP aggravating-evidence appellate-review capital-case confession confession-evidence cumulative-error harmless-error harmless-error-analysis jury-deliberation jury-deliberations ninth-circuit-review Whether a court reviewing a cold record in a capital case may determine that the effect of an erroneously admitted confession and other improper aggra…
22-7482 Ralph Leroy Menzies v. Robert Powell, Warden Tenth Circuit 2023-05-08 Denied IFP adequate-appeal appellate-review capital-case due-process prejudice prejudice-standard transcript transcript-reconstruction voir-dire 1. Does the petitioner's Due Process right to an adequate and effective appeal in a capital case require a new trial where critical portions of the pr…
22-982 Ryan Thornell, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections v. Danny Lee Jones Ninth Circuit 2023-04-10 Judgment Issued Amici (4)Relisted (9) capital-case capital-punishment credibility-findings district-court district-court-deference habeas habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ninth-circuit ninth-circuit-review strickland strickland-standard Did the Ninth Circuit violate this Court's precedents by employing a flawed methodology for assessing Strickland prejudice when it disregarded the dis…
22-6763 Cecil Wallace Williamson, Jr. v. Mike Heinricy, Warden Eighth Circuit 2023-02-13 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP capital-case civil-rights constitutional-violation due-process false-confession habeas-corpus organized-crime prosecutorial-misconduct racketeering witness-tampering /r U GaPiTaL CaSL J. f fh*. 5+ah, ofXaoSc^ all outlet J~aSp<sr CoonTif bij fr Acktd-earhne^ multiple (^eruern mvirfhaA 'e^'/feS ~to P id via.f> me gr…
22-6728 John Lezell Balentine v. Texas Texas 2023-02-08 Denied IFP given its interweaving with federal law -abuse-of-writ -federal-law -habeas-corpus -post-conviction-relief -state-law-ground #NAME? abuse-of-the-writ capital-case due-process federal-law juror-misconduct racial-prejudice 1. Whether the CCA's otherwise unexplained ruling that abuse of the writ under Article 11.071, § 5, precluded post-conviction relief is an adequate an…
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 When state courts prevent a capital defendant from obtaining the formal process necessary to substantiate severe constitutional violations in his tria…
22-5416 James Montell Chappell v. Nevada Nevada 2022-08-22 Denied IFP capital-case fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder ineffective-assistance-of-counsel organic-brain-damage prejudice prejudice-prong strickland-standard strickland-v-washington When trial counsel in a capital case presents anecdotal evidence of prenatal exposure to alcohol and evidence of learning disability but not expert te…
21-7400 Derrick U. Stricklin v. Nebraska Nebraska 2022-03-17 Denied IFP alibi-evidence capital-case capital-punishment criminal-procedure fourteenth-amendment ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel sixth-amendment trial-tactics I. WHETHER THE FAILURE OF DEFENSE COUNSEL TO FILE A NOTICE OF ALIBI AND PRESENT AMPLE ALIBI EVIDENCE WHEN INSTRUCTED TO DO SO BY THE DEFENDANT IN A …
21-7381 Jessie D. Hoffman, Jr. v. Louisiana Louisiana 2022-03-16 Denied Amici (1)IFP capital-case criminal-procedure death-penalty due-process juror-misconduct jury-selection no-impeachment-rule peña-rodriguez racial-bias Did the Louisiana Supreme Court err in failing to consider clear evidence of juror racial bias under Peña-Rodriguez in the extraordinary circumstances…
21-7358 Joseph Elliott v. George Little, Acting Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, et al. Third Circuit 2022-03-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP capital-case certificate-of-appealability confrontation-clause ineffective-assistance jury-selection out-of-court-statements right-to-counsel strickland-standard strickland-v-washington trial-preparation 1. Whether, in accordance with Miller-El v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322, 327 (2003), Petitioner made a showing that reasonable jurists would debate whether…
21-7224 Johnathan I. Alcegaire v. Florida Florida 2022-02-28 Denied IFP capital-case capital-punishment due-process false-evidence false-testimony giglio giglio-claim jury-instructions jury-prejudice prosecutorial-misconduct In this Florida capital case, the Florida Supreme Court, while acknowledging that the prosecution's argument to the jury was not true, denied Petition…
21-7132 Dominique C. Swopes v. Ohio Ohio 2022-02-16 Denied IFP capital-case discovery-order due-process evidence fourteenth-amendment interlocutory-appeal scientific-evidence state-created-right trial-court-discretion When a trial court's discovery order regarding scientific testing of evidence will result in the total consumption of the evidence and thus preclude a…
21-6747 Victor Dewayne Taylor v. Scott Jordan, Warden Sixth Circuit 2021-12-29 Denied IFP batson-challenge batson-v-kentucky capital-case constitutional-law habeas-corpus jury-selection peremptory-challenges race-discrimination race-neutral-reason sixth-circuit 1. Is a statement by the prosecutor that he believed he could discriminatorily remove African-American jurors from the panel as long as he left one Af…
21-871 Louisiana v. David H. Brown Louisiana 2021-12-13 Denied capital-case death-penalty faretta-right faretta-v-california mccoy-v-louisiana self-representation structural-error trial-counsel Whether the Louisiana Supreme Court erred in vacating the three death sentences imposed on the respondent when the trial court granted respondent's re…
21-6307 Donald James Smith v. Florida Florida 2021-11-17 Denied IFP capital-case capital-punishment criminal-procedure due-process eighth-amendment fair-trial penalty-phase prosecutorial-misconduct sixth-amendment victim-impact Was petitioner's right to a fair "penalty phase" trial violated when the prosecutor told the jurors, during closing arguments in the guilt phase, that…
21-6001 Terence Tramaine Andrus v. Texas Texas 2021-10-19 Denied Amici (8)Relisted (17)IFP capital-case criminal-procedure death-penalty effective-assistance-of-counsel habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance sixth-amendment stare-decisis strickland-v-washington vertical-stare-decisis I. On remand, did the Texas court reject this Court's conclusions in Andrus v. Texas, 140 S.Ct. 1875 (2020), which were amply supported by the habeas …
21-5900 Justin Anderson v. Arkansas Arkansas 2021-10-05 Denied IFP 8th-amendment capital-case constitutional-rights criminal-sentencing due-process eighth-amendment prior-offense resentencing sentencing victim-impact victim-impact-evidence 1. Whether the Eighth Amendment permits a State to present victim-impact evidence arising from a crime other than the murder for which the defendant i…
21-5700 Stanley Renard Tilley, Sr. v. Bobby Lumpkin, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2021-09-17 Denied Response WaivedIFP actual-innocence capital-case forensic-pathology habeas-corpus herrera-standard ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel procedural-default schlup-standard strickland-standard Mr. Tilley alleged that he is actual innocent, and his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to call expert witnesses as requested by Mr. Tilley, …
21-5427 Kushawn Miles-El v. Connie Horton, Warden Michigan 2021-08-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP 6th-amendment capital-case civil-rights competency competency-hearing due-process fourteenth-amendment right-to-be-present right-to-counsel sixth-amendment I. WHETHER THE STATE COURT HAS DENIED PETITIONER KUSHAWN MILES-EL ANY RIGHT, PRIVILEGE OR IMMUNITY GUARANTEED HIM BY THE CONSTITUTION AND LAWS OF THE …
21-5420 Naim Rasool Muhammad v. Texas Texas 2021-08-20 Denied IFP burden-of-proof capital-case constitutional-rights criminal-procedure ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel prejudice preponderance-of-the-evidence strickland-standard strickland-v-washington texas-court-of-criminal-appeals 1. Whether a habeas court violates Strickland and decades of this Court's precedent by imposing a "preponderance of the evidence" standard for prejudi…
21-5094 Stanley Jalowiec v. Ohio Ohio 2021-07-13 Denied IFP caldwell-v-mississippi capital-case capital-punishment constitutional-error death-penalty hurst-v-florida jury-responsibility jury-selection sentencing-responsibility trial-procedure Is telling the jury that their decision is only a mere recommendation unconstitutional under Hurst v. Florida?
20-8462 Roderick Napoleon Harris v. Texas Texas 2021-06-30 Denied IFP -habeas-corpus -ineffective-assistance -prejudice-standard -professional-norms -sixth-amendment #NAME? capital-case mitigation-evidence prejudice professional-standards sixth-amendment strickland-v-washington 1. Whether a habeas court must articulate and apply prevailing professional norms in order to determine whether trial counsel's representation was ine…
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 Question One In Mr. Franks's case, the district court found that "the evidence …was so overwhelming that no competent lawyer could be expected to hav…
20-7879 Vincent Gino Chavez v. Brian Cates, Warden Ninth Circuit 2021-04-28 Denied Response WaivedIFP capital-case capital-cases circuit-split criminal-procedure due-process jury-instructions lesser-included-offense lesser-included-offenses noncapital-cases In Beck v. Alabama, 477 U.S. 625, 638 (1980), this Court held that a criminal defendant is entitled to jury instructions on lesser included offenses i…
20-7840 Thomas Robert Lane v. Alabama Alabama 2021-04-26 Denied IFP capital-case constitutional-rights criminal-procedure due-process eighth-amendment expert-testimony fair-trial reliable-conviction reliable-sentence In a capital case, does the admission of expert testimony from a witness regarding a subject outside his area of expertise violate a defendant's Fifth…
20-7813 Richard Allen Benson v. Kevin Chappell, Warden Ninth Circuit 2021-04-21 Dismissed IFP aedpa aedpa-standard capital-case capital-punishment due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance mitigation-evidence prima-facie state-law 1. When a federal habeas court examines for reasonableness a silent state court habeas denial pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d) (AEDPA) and Harrington v…
20-7615 Duane Eugene Owen v. Florida Florida 2021-03-31 Denied IFP capital-case constitutional-claims criminal-procedure death-penalty equal-protection florida-supreme-court fourteenth-amendment habeas-corpus penalty-phase procedural-history retroactivity supreme-court-review Whether Petitioner was denied equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution when the Florida Supreme Court decline…
20-7553 Len Davis v. United States Fifth Circuit 2021-03-25 Denied IFP capital-case certificate-of-appealability circuit-court-review evidentiary-hearing federal-appellate-review habeas-corpus supervisory-authority threshold-inquiry 1. Whether this Court should grant certiorari and exercise its supervisory authority to bring uniformity to the circuit courts' COA practice so as to …
20-1306 Alan Dale Walker v. Mississippi Mississippi 2021-03-19 Denied capital-case capital-punishment ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel investigation mitigation-evidence psychological-trauma sixth-amendment tactical-decisions trial-counsel 1. Did the Mississippi Supreme Court fail to adhere to this Court's Sixth Amendment jurisprudence requiring counsel in a capital case to conduct a tho…
20-7298 Andrew Watson Bunn v. Wisconsin Wisconsin 2021-03-02 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review capital-case civil-procedure constitutional-law constitutional-provisions due-process judicial-procedure jurisdiction legal-jurisdiction petition-for-review right-to-appeal standing Whether a right to appeal is preserved when the questions presented remain unanswered.
20-7185 John Anthony Esposito v. Benjamin Ford, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2021-02-19 Denied IFP 11th-circuit 28-usc-2254 capital-case habeas strickland-v-washington wilson-v-sellers 1. The state habeas court in Petitioner's case issued a reasoned decision denying relief, which the Georgia Supreme Court summarily affirmed. In Wilso…
20-6684 Daniel Todd Silveria v. California California 2020-12-22 Denied IFP 8th-amendment capital-case due-process joint-trial mitigating-evidence severance 1. May a court exclude significant mitigating evidence in a capital case by joining two codefendants in a single trial before a single jury? 2. When …
20-6113 Jeffrey Wogenstahl v. Tim Shoop, Warden Sixth Circuit 2020-10-23 Denied IFP 28-usc-2254 capital-case direct-review habeas-review magwood-v-patterson merits-decision new-judgment state-court When a state court re-opens direct review in a capital case, does the resultant state court merits decision constitute a "new judgment" pursuant to th…
20-5760 Daniel Carl Frederickson v. California California 2020-09-21 Denied IFP capital-case constitutional-rights defense-counsel faretta-v-california guilty-plea mccoy-v-louisiana plea-of-guilty self-representation sixth-amendment Does a state statute that requires the consent of defense counsel before a defendant in a capital case can enter a plea of guilty violate the Sixth Am…
20-5378 James Lynn Styers v. David Shinn, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections Ninth Circuit 2020-08-17 Denied IFP capital-case certificate-of-appealability collateral-review eddings-standard eddings-v-oklahoma habeas-corpus mitigation-evidence ninth-circuit second-or-successive-petition Whether the Arizona Supreme Court, during reweighing on collateral review to correct its error under Eddings v. Oklahoma, 455 U.S. 104 (1982), is requ…
19-8921 Zane Floyd v. William Gittere, Warden, et al. Ninth Circuit 2020-07-08 Denied Amici (1)IFP aedpa brain-damage capital-case fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mitigation-evidence ninth-circuit-rule strickland-prejudice strickland-standard Trial counsel in this capital case knew that the defendant's mother had consumed alcohol while pregnant. Despite recognizing the need to investigate w…
19-8831 Eric Reid v. Arkansas Arkansas 2020-06-26 Denied IFP capital-case capital-cases constitutional-procedure criminal-trial death-penalty due-process jury-selection morgan-v-illinois voir-dire Whether the Arkansas' voir dire framework in capital cases conflicts with this Court's ruling in Morgan v. Illinois, 504 U.S. 719 (1992).
19-8644 Michael L. King v. Mark S. Inch, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2020-06-09 Denied IFP capital-case capital-cases due-process fifth-amendment fourteenth-amendment impartial-tribunal judicial-bias When a court shows partiality and bias by adopting nearly verbatim the prevailing party's brief as its order or opinion, particularly in capital cases…
19-1348 Alfred Bourgeois, et al. v. William P. Barr, Attorney General, et al. District of Columbia 2020-06-09 Denied Amici (2) administrative-law agency-deference agency-rule capital-case death-penalty execution-protocol federal-death-penalty-act federal-law notice-and-comment procedural-rule statutory-interpretation 1. Whether the phrase "prescribed by the law of the State" in 18 U.S.C. § 3596(a) includes those procedures that state law requires state officials to…
19-7893 Nicholas Roos v. Arkansas Arkansas 2020-03-06 Denied Response WaivedIFP capital-case evidence-suppression ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel motion-to-suppress plea-bargaining psychological-evaluation red-flags strickland-standard strickland-v-washington trial-counsel-performance 1) Did Arkansas Supreme Court misapply this Court 's ruling of Strickland v. Washington , by finding it effective for the trial counsel of a capital c…
19-7627 Ernesto Salgado Martinez v. David Shinn, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections Ninth Circuit 2020-02-11 Denied IFP appellate-procedure brady-claim brady-evidence brady-violation capital-case gonzalez-v-crosby ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel judicial-bias kyles-v-whitley ninth-circuit (1) Whether the Ninth Circuit misapplied this Court's law of implied judicial bias where, rather than considering the professional and social relation…
19-7403 Theodore C. Shove v. Ron Davis, Warden Ninth Circuit 2020-01-24 Dismissed Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP capital-case constitutional-rights criminal-violations due-process federal-constitution habeas-corpus judicial-oath law-enforcement prosecution state-constitution state-court-judgment state-exhaustion statutory-demand us-constitution 1. Judgment based upon criminal violations of State and United States Constitutions and Laws, by Law Enforcement, Prosecution; Qualify for Habeas Corp…
19-7236 John Joseph DeBlase v. Alabama Alabama 2020-01-09 Denied IFP capital-case codefendant confrontation-clause constitutional-rights due-process jury-unanimity sixth-amendment waiver 1. Do the Sixth Amendment and the Due Process Clause permit, in a capital case, the admission of statements of a nontestifying codefendant, acknowledg…
19-6860 In Re Lee Hall 2019-12-04 Denied IFP biased-juror capital-case capital-punishment due-process extraordinary-circumstances habeas habeas-corpus habeas-review juror-bias original-jurisdiction structural-error Whether the structural error of service of by biased juror in a capital case, discovered on the eve of execution, presents extraordinary circumstances…
19-6685 Scott McLaughlin v. Anne L. Precythe, Director, Missouri Department of Corrections Eighth Circuit 2019-11-20 Denied IFP capital-case capital-cases capital-cases-habeas-corpus certificate-of-appealability certificates-of-appealability confrontation-clause eighth-circuit giles-v-california habeas-corpus pro-forma-denial procedural-due-process standard-of-review A disturbing trend is developing in capital cases in federal courts in Missouri regarding the pro forma denial of certificates of appealability ("COA"…
19-569 Carlos Manuel Ayestas v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2019-10-30 Denied capital-case capital-case-mitigation-evidence ineffective-assistance mental-health mitigation-evidence mitigation-investigation professional-norms rompilla-v-beard sixth-amendment strickland-v-washington substance-abuse wiggins-v-smith This Court has found constitutionally deficient performance of counsel based on "prevailing professional norms" that precede the Court's own decisions…
19-6061 Phillip Jones v. Ohio Ohio 2019-09-25 Denied IFP capital-case capital-punishment due-process eighth-amendment ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mitigation-investigation sixth-amendment strickland-v-washington Whether, pursuant to Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984) and its progeny, trial counsel is ineffective in a capital case when counsel conduc…
19-5968 Carlos Cuesta-Rodriguez v. Mike Carpenter, Warden Tenth Circuit 2019-09-17 Denied IFP capital-case capital-defendants direct-appeal ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel martinez-rule martinez-v-ryan post-conviction procedural-bar public-defender trevino-v-thaler 1. By operation of Oklahoma law, indigent defendants in Tulsa and Oklahoma Counties (the State's two most populous counties) are required to be repres…
19-5921 Lisa M. Montgomery v. United States Eighth Circuit 2019-09-12 Denied Amici (2)IFP attorney-client-relationship capital-case capital-trial due-process fifth-amendment in-chambers learned-counsel notice-requirement right-to-counsel sixth-amendment termination-of-counsel 1. In a federal capital trial case, may a federal district court judge, consistent with the Fifth and Sixth Amendments, terminate the appointment of l…
19-5719 Robert Keith Ray v. Colorado Colorado 2019-08-27 Denied IFP 6th-amendment appellate-review apprendi apprendi-v-new-jersey boyde-standard boyde-v-california capital-case due-process jury jury-instructions sixth-amendment In light of this Court's recent Sixth-Amendment jurisprudence emphasizing the constitutional primacy of the role of the jury, should this Court revisi…
19-239 Larry Benzon, Warden v. Troy Michael Kell Tenth Circuit 2019-08-23 Denied Amici (1) appeal appeals appellate-review capital-case capital-punishment collateral-order-doctrine district-court federalism habeas-corpus rhines-v-weber stay Whether a district court's order staying and abeying a capital prisoner's habeas corpus petition under Rhines v. Weber, 544 U.S. 269 (2005), is immedi…
19-5430 Christopher Devon Jackson v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2019-08-01 Denied IFP capital-case certificate-of-appealability due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel judicial-review mental-health mental-health-mitigation mitigation wiggins-v-smith Where the district court wrote that Petitioner "raises issues worthy of judicial review," has the Fifth Circuit again applied an overly restrictive st…
18-9838 Cedric Floyd v. Alabama Alabama 2019-06-27 Denied IFP capital-case capital-punishment death-penalty eighth-amendment fifth-amendment remorse right-to-remain-silent 1. In a capital case in which the defendant exercises his right not to testify, are the Fifth and Eighth Amendments violated when the State argues in …
18-9746 Marion Wilson, Jr. v. Benjamin Ford, Warden Georgia 2019-06-20 Denied IFP capital-case criminal-procedure death-penalty due-process eighth-amendment fair-trial intent jury-instructions prosecutor-misconduct prosecutorial-misconduct standing Whether a prosecutor may secure a death sentence by presenting knowingly false and/or misleading argument to the jury that argues falsehoods about the…
18-9745 Marion Wilson, Jr. v. Georgia Georgia 2019-06-20 Denied IFP capital-case capital-punishment dna-testing due-process eighth-amendment equal-protection forensic-evidence procedural-issues procedural-safeguards 1. Was Petitioner denied due process by the state court's refusal to provide a hearing that was mandated by Georgia's DNA statute, particularly given …
18-9554 In Re Billie J. Allen 2019-06-05 Denied Relisted (2)IFP alabama-v-shelton arizona-v-fulminante capital-case capital-punishment due-process gideon-v-wainwright habeas-corpus mccoy-v-louisiana non-capital-case right-to-counsel structural-error 1. Whether McCoy V Louisiana, 138 S. Ct. 1500 (2018) is a new "watershed rule", akin to Gideon v Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 (1963), which falls within t…
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 Is a state court objectively unreasonable, for purposes of 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(1), when it concludes that a capital defendant was not prejudiced by hi…
18-9273 Billy Joe Wardlow v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2019-05-14 Denied IFP adequate-state-ground adequate-state-procedural-ground capital-case capital-habeas capital-habeas-case-appeal certificate-of-appealability due-process-right-to-present-evidence federal-habeas fifth-circuit habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-of-counsel presumption-of-correctness state-habeas state-habeas-proceedings state-procedural-ground texas-court-of-criminal-appeals 1. Whether the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has again violated the standard for determining whether a Certificate of Appealabi…
18-9265 Juan Ramon Meza Segundo v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2019-05-14 Denied IFP aedpa capital-case circuit-split extraordinary-circumstances federal-habeas federal-habeas-proceedings federal-procedure gonzalez-v-crosby habeas-corpus merits-review procedural-defect rule-60(b) rule-60b section-3599 1. Does a district court's denial of Section 3599 representation services under the wrong legal standard constitute a defect in the integrity of the p…
18-8845 Abel Revill Ochoa v. Lorie Davis, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2019-04-16 Denied IFP ayestas-v-davis capital-case capital-punishment death-penalty due-process federal-funding funding habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-of-counsel legal-representation procedural-standard statutory-interpretation (1) Whether, in light of Ayestas v. Davis, 138 S. Ct. 1080 (2018), a court applies an overly burdensome standard for funding under 18 U.S.C. § 3599(f)…
18-8652 Ammar Asimfaruq Harris v. Nevada Nevada 2019-04-01 Denied IFP 5th-amendment capital-case constitutional-error due-process fair-trial fifth-amendment fourteenth-amendment harmless-error jury sixth-amendment Whether Mr. Harris' rights under the Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth amendments to a fair trial by jury were violated when the Nevada Supreme Court incorr…
18-1222 Christopher Andre Vialva v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-03-20 Denied capital-case certificate-of-appealability due-process federal-habeas federal-habeas-proceedings federal-procedure habeas-corpus integrity-of-proceedings judicial-misconduct rule-60(b) rule-60(b)(6) rule-60b successive-habeas-petition successive-petition After the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit resolved Petitioner's motion under § 2255 seeking habeas relief from his death sentence…
18-8466 Gregory Hunt v. Alabama Alabama 2019-03-19 Denied IFP brady-v-maryland brady-vs-maryland capital-case capital-punishment constitutional-rights due-process expert-testimony false-evidence prosecutorial-misconduct strickler-v-greene strickler-vs-greene In pursuit of a capital conviction and death sentence in this case, the prosecutor relied on an inflammatory impossibility. At Gregory Hunt's trial in…
18-8389 Marion Wilson, Jr. v. Benjamin Ford, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2019-03-12 Denied IFP 28-usc-2254 brain-damage capital-case capital-punishment certificate-of-appealability due-process habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mitigating-evidence strickland-standard strickland-v-washington 1. The Eleventh Circuit did not focus on the state habeas court's actual reasons for rejecting Petitioner's claim that trial counsel's inadequate inve…
18-8300 Paul Glen Everett v. Florida Florida 2019-03-06 Denied IFP capital-case capital-punishment constitutional-defect harmless-error harmless-error-review hurst-v-florida jury-unanimity sixth-amendment sixth-amendment-error structural-defect structural-error trial-mechanism 1. Whether the Sixth Amendment error identified by this Court in Hurst v. Florida is a structural defect that infects the entire constitutionality of …
18-7637 Fidencio Valdez v. Texas Texas 2019-01-29 Denied IFP capital-case capital-case-review-habeas-corpus-due-process-equa criminal-procedure due-process equal-protection habeas-corpus mccoy-claim mccoy-v-louisiana standing texas-code-of-criminal-procedure texas-law Whether the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas misapplied this Court's decision in McCoy v. Louisiana, 584 U.S. _ (No. 16-8255; May 14, 2018): by dete…
18-7482 Edgar Baltazar Garcia v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-01-22 Denied Relisted (2)IFP 18-usc-3599 capital-case criminal-procedure due-process expert-expenses expert-fees global-cap investigative-fees legal-compensation reasonably-necessary statutory-interpretation Whether, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3599(f) and (g)(2), a global cap may be imposed on investigative and expert fees and expenses in a capital case in an…
18-937 Abelino Manriquez v. Ralph Diaz, Acting Secretary, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation California 2019-01-18 Denied actual-bias capital-case capital-punishment fourteenth-amendment habeas-corpus implied-bias juror-bias jury-impartiality life-experiences sixth-amendment What test determines whether a juror's life experiences are so similar to facts in the case that the juror must be disqualified for bias under the Six…
18-7489 Jurijus Kadamovas v. United States Ninth Circuit 2019-01-18 Denied IFP 18-usc-1203 bond-v-united-states capital-case due-process-clause federal-authority hostage-taking international-terrorism recusal-standard statutory-interpretation treaty-power (1) Whether 18 U.S.C. § 1203 should be interpreted in accordance with its underlying treaty and the principles in Bond v. United States, 572 U.S. 844 …
18-7201 Mark Isaac Snarr v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-01-02 Denied IFP 18-usc-3599 ake-v-oklahoma appellate-review ayestas-v-davis capital-case capital-defendant circuit-split due-process expert-services federal-funding fifth-circuit statutory-interpretation supreme-court-precedent Whether the Fifth Circuit disregarded this Court's precedent when it required petitioner to show that an expert was "critical" to his case before fund…
18-7020 Jose Antonio Jimenez v. Julie L. Jones, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2018-12-13 Denied IFP brady-giglio-violation brady-violation capital-case constitutional-rights due-process gatekeeping-requirements giglio-violation government-suppression habeas-corpus second-or-successive second-or-successive-petition second-successive-petition 1. Where a numerically-second § 2254 motion raises an actionable Brady/Giglio violation that (a) the government suppressed until after the conclusion …
18-697 Tony Von Carruthers v. Tony Mays, Warden Sixth Circuit 2018-11-27 Denied argersinger-v-hamlin capital-case capital-punishment criminal-defendant criminal-procedure due-process faretta-v-california pro-se-representation right-to-counsel sixth-amendment waiver Does depriving a criminal defendant of trial counsel against his will, without at least the warnings and voluntary waiver required by Faretta, violate…
18-6167 Ronald Wayne Clark, Jr. v. Florida Florida 2018-10-02 Denied IFP capital-case capital-case,eighth-amendment,cruel-and-unusual-pu capital-punishment codefendant-culpability codefendants cruel-and-unusual-punishment cruel-unusual-punishment death-penalty death-sentence eighth-amendment proportionality-review reliability-of-death-sentence 1. Whether an assessment of the relative culpability of codefendants in a capital case in Florida is required pursuant to the Eighth Amendment in orde…
18-5648 Anthony Lamarca v. Florida Florida 2018-08-20 Denied IFP apprendi-v-new-jersey capital-case death-penalty eighth-amendment eighth-amendment-cruel-and-unusual-punishment fourteenth-amendment fourteenth-amendment-due-process hurst-v-florida jury-unanimity retroactivity ring-v-arizona 1. Whether the Florida Supreme Court's partial retroactivity rule as to violations pursuant to Hurst v. Florida, which is based on an arbitrary cutoff…
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 1. Have the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals improperly applied Barefoot v. Estelle to cat…
18-5518 Norman Mearle Grim v. Florida Florida 2018-08-08 Denied Relisted (5)IFP advisory-jury burden-of-proof caldwell-v-mississippi capital-case death-penalty death-penalty-sentencing eighth-amendment harmless-error hurst-v-florida hurst-violation sixth-amendment sullivan-v-louisiana 1. Can a violation of Hurst v. Florida , 136 S. Ct. 616 (2016), be ruled harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, based solely on a pre-Hurst "advisory " j…
18-5505 Farris Genner Morris v. Tony Mays, Warden Sixth Circuit 2018-08-08 Denied IFP procedurally defaulted ineffective assistance of capital-case equitable-exception evidence federal-habeas federal-review habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel martinez-exception martinez-v-ryan post-conviction-relief procedural-default sixth-amendment 1. When Martinez v. Ryan , 566 U.S. 1 (2012) was decided during the pendency of a petitioner's initial federal habeas corpus proceeding, is the petiti…
18-5403 Leroy Dean Dennis v. Oklahoma Oklahoma 2018-07-30 Denied Relisted (2)IFP 14th-amendment 6th-amendment capital-case constitutional-rights due-process fair-trial false-testimony jurisdiction oklahoma-constitution-article-2-section-20 reasonable-doubt title-18-usc-section-3432 witness-endorsement IN A CAPITAL CASE, IS A DEFNDANT'S CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS VIOLATED UNDER THE MANDATE OF THE OKLAHOMA CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE 2, § 20 WHICH IS IDENTICAL T…
18-5330 Gregory Alan Kokal v. Julie L. Jones, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections Florida 2018-07-24 Denied IFP capital-case capital-case,eighth-amendment,cruel-and-unusual-pu capital-punishment codefendant-culpability codefendants cruel-and-unusual-punishment culpability death-sentence eighth-amendment proportionality-review 1. Whether an assessment of the relative culpability of codefendants in a capital case in Florida is required pursuant to the Eighth Amendment in orde…
18-5231 Richard Lloyd Odom v. Tennessee Tennessee 2018-07-17 Denied IFP but no text of a SCOTUS petition was provided in I cannot generate a question presented or identif please include the full text of the petition. brain-damage capital-case eighth-amendment ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mitigating-evidence sixth-amendment smith-v-texas strickland-prejudice strickland-v-washington tennard-v-dretke Question not identified.
18-50 Linda Carty v. Texas Texas 2018-07-09 Denied Amici (3) brady-violation brady-violations capital-case capital-murder constitutional-error constitutional-errors cumulative-error cumulative-prejudice due-process habeas-review heightened-scrutiny strickland-standard strickland-violation 1. Whether the Constitution requires a court on habeas review in a capital case to assess cumulatively the prejudice caused by multiple constitutional…