cumulative-error

48 cases — ← All topics

Case Title Lower Court Docketed Status Flags Tags Question Presented
25A150 Maurice Cruz-Webster v. Brian Emig, Warden, et al. Third Circuit 2025-08-05 Presumed Complete cumulative-error habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance procedural-default prosecutorial-misconduct strickland-standard Question not identified.
25-5005 Tawsif Tajwar v. United States Sixth Circuit 2025-07-01 Denied Response WaivedIFP cumulative-error evidence-suppression jury-instructions mental-state sixth-amendment trial-court Whether a determinative response by the trial court to a jury question posed during deliberation regarding a question of fact results in prejudice to …
24-5344 Jose Adolpho Castillo v. Bobby Lumpkin, Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions Division Fifth Circuit 2024-08-19 Denied IFP circuit-split cumulative-error habeas-corpus ineffective-counsel strickland-standard van-arsdall-factors 1. Whether this Court's holding in Strickland v. Washington , 466 U.S. 668 (1984), requires reviewing courts to consider the cumulative effect of cou…
24-5180 Lemuel S. Whiteside v. Arkansas Arkansas 2024-07-30 Denied Response WaivedIFP aedpa criminal-procedure cumulative-error habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel sentencing-review strategic-decision-making strickland-standard strickland-v-washington WHETHER THE ARKANSAS COURTS APPLIED AN INCORRECT STANDARD FOR RESOLVING PETITIONER WHITESIDE'S CLAIMS OF INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL IN SENTENCI…
23-7765 Leon Davis, Jr. v. Florida, et al. Florida 2024-06-20 Denied IFP capital-punishment cumulative-error death-penalty ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel jury-selection prosecutorial-discretion strickland-prejudice strickland-standard Counsel failed to object to the capital trial court's multiple misleading and inappropriate comments during jury selection about the uniquely gruesome…
23-6573 Brenda Evers Andrew v. Tamika White, Warden Tenth Circuit 2024-01-25 GVR Amici (3)Relisted (23)IFP criminal-procedure cumulative-error due-process gender-presentation gender-stereotyping miranda-rights miranda-violation motherhood prosecutorial-misconduct sex-based-stereotypes sexual-discrimination sexual-history 1. Whether clearly established federal law as determined by this Court forbids the prosecution's use of a woman's plainly irrelevant sexual history, g…
23-6106 Damion Edward Cruz-Benavente v. United States Fifth Circuit 2023-11-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-standard constitutional-error criminal-procedure criminal-trial cumulative-error cumulative-errors due-process harmless-error judicial-review procedural-fairness standard-of-review verdict-influence To determine whether a criminal trial was unfair because of cumulative errors, does a court review whether the aggregate errors—both preserved and for…
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…
22-989 Rodney Lynn Dalton v. Arizona Arizona 2023-04-11 Denied Response Waived appellate-review constitutional-rights criminal-trial cumulative-error due-process prosecutorial-misconduct standard-of-review What is the appropriate standard for determining cumulative prosecutorial misconduct in a criminal trial?
22-6534 Terry Lynn King v. Tony Mays, Warden Sixth Circuit 2023-01-13 Denied IFP capital-punishment capital-trial constitutional-error cruel-and-unusual-punishment cumulative-error due-process federal-courts fourteenth-amendment harmless-error judicial-review (1) Whether the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment requires that courts consider the aggregate effect of multiple legal errors, as the Fir…
22-613 Robert S. Schwartzberg v. Florida Florida 2023-01-04 Denied Response Waived attorney-client-privilege cumulative-error cumulative-error-doctrine ineffective-assistance-of-counsel post-conviction-relief prosecutorial-misconduct strickland-standard strickland-v-washington work-product-doctrine This case arises from a domestic dispute involving Petitioner, Robert S. Schwartzberg. The alleged victim claimed that he attacked and sexually assaul…
22-5718 Amos Westmoreland, Jr. v. Aimee Smith, Warden Georgia 2022-09-29 Granted IFP conflict-free-assistance-of-counsel cumulative-error due-process equal-protection federal-law habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance strickland-standard strickland-v-washington Question One: Prior iu February iu, 2020, Georgia [Supreme Court] Iiau repeatedly held iliai although the combined effects of trial counsel's errors …
22-5331 Mark Anthony Williams v. Michigan Michigan 2022-08-10 Denied IFP confrontation-clause criminal-sexual-conduct cross-examination cumulative-error due-process fourteenth-amendment ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel sentencing-guidelines sixth-amendment I. THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED AT TRIAL WAS INSUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT THE CONVICTION OF CSC 1st DEGREE WHERE THERE WAS NO PROOF OF PENETRATION AS REQUIRED BY…
22-5165 Daniel Boos v. Jermaine White, Warden Eleventh Circuit 2022-07-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-rights criminal-procedure cumulative-error cumulative-prejudice due-process effective-assistance-of-counsel ineffective-assistance sixth-amendment trial-counsel trial-errors Question not identified.
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 1. Did the Ninth Circuit err when it found that Petitioner's "organic" brain dysfunction was not enough of a red flag to trigger a duty for trial coun…
21-7853 Gregory Spiros Demetrulius v. Ron Broomfield, Warden Ninth Circuit 2022-05-12 Denied IFP constitutional-claim cumulative-error due-process federal-habeas federal-review habeas-corpus harmless-error ninth-circuit state-concessions state-court-error state-court-findings In 1995, a California state-court jury sentenced petitioner Gregory Demetrulias to death after finding him guilty of first-degree murder and finding t…
21-7338 Chandler Saxton v. Georgia Georgia 2022-03-10 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellate-review civil-rights constitutional-rights criminal-conviction cumulative-error due-process fair-trial judicial-review medical-issues procedural-error trial-court /}$ A TomiTv of cowimive emoR's nvciooim 16NOfeO /HCOlCrtc jssyfS. THf Cur>wL/>TJi€ EftfloR OocWui/6 S/TvS It UIUL REUERSE >» Gm/uiCTiort UHE/V W nG&…
21-7306 Jonathan Mota v. United States Ninth Circuit 2022-03-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP appellant-standard appellate-review circuit-conflict civil-rights criminal-procedure cumulative-error district-court due-process judicial-error legal-prejudice prejudice What degree of error and of prejudice must an appellant show with respect to individuals errors of the district court before those errors may be consi…
21-6588 Amy Bishop Anderson v. Deidra Wright, Warden, et al. Eleventh Circuit 2021-12-13 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP certificate-of-appealability claim-exhaustion cumulative-error effective-assistance-of-counsel exhaustion-of-remedies habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance-of-counsel merits-determination voluntariness-of-plea voluntary-plea Charged and convicted of capital murder, sentenced to Life Without Parole Question 1: Whether the 11th Circuit Court used a merits determination to d…
21-5971 Adrian Torres v. Warren Montgomery, Warden Ninth Circuit 2021-10-14 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-rights criminal-trial cumulative-error doyle-error due-process evidence-exclusion ineffective-assistance prosecutorial-misconduct ptsd right-to-present-defense I. Did Trial Counsel Render Ineffective Assistance by Failing to Investigate and Present a PTSD Expert?; Was an Evidentiary Hearing Was Required? II.…
21-5577 Terry Darnell Anderson v. Mark S. Inch, Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections Eleventh Circuit 2021-09-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP circuit-court-split circuit-split cumulative-error cumulative-error-doctrine fair-trial federal-habeas-corpus fourteenth-amendment ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel sixth-amendment 1. Does the cumulative error doctrine in the context of an ineffective assistance of counsel claim apply whereby individual errors, insufficient to ne…
21-5166 Leobardo Valladares v. Craig Koenig, Warden Ninth Circuit 2021-07-22 Denied Response WaivedIFP criminal-procedure cumulative-error due-process evidentiary-hearing first-degree-murder ineffective-assistance jury-instructions reasonable-doubt standard-of-proof sufficiency-of-evidence I. Did the Prosecution Fail to Prove Beyond a Reasonable Doubt That Valladares Committed First Degree Murder? II. Did Trial Counsel Render Ineffectiv…
20-7605 Cody James Martinez v. Arizona Arizona 2021-03-31 Denied IFP capital-defendant capital-trial cumulative-error due-process ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel pecuniary-gain right-to-counsel statutory-aggravator strickland-standard trial-counsel I.Trial counsel only ever met with Mr. Martinez for a total of 1:08 in the 2-½ years preceding this capital trial. II.Arizona used a flawed premedita…
20-7086 Michael Fetherolf v. Tim Shoop, Warden Sixth Circuit 2021-02-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP actual-innocence constitutional-interpretation cumulative-error due-process habeas-corpus hearsay jackson-v-virginia sixth-circuit-review suspension-clause Whether the Sixth Circuit erred when it applied a death penalty sentencing Strickland review, in a non death penalty case, raising an actual innocence…
20-6411 Miguel A. Ramirez v. California California 2020-11-24 Denied IFP civil-rights criminal-conviction criminal-procedure cumulative-error defendant-rights due-process evidence-admissibility jury-instructions prejudicial-error sexual-abuse 1. whetheR a juRy InstRuction in corractly Stating That Continous Sexual abuse of a child is a general intent cRime was PRejudiciael? 2. Whothek the …
20-5425 Rasheen J. Gamble v. New York New York 2020-08-20 Denied IFP confrontation-clause criminal-procedure cumulative-error dna-evidence due-process fair-trial ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel prosecutorial-misconduct I. WAS DEFENSE COUNSEL INEFFECTIVE FOR CONSENTING TO THE PROSECUTOR'S EXTREMELY UNTIMELY REQUEST FOR A DNA SAMPLE —A MOVE THAT THE APPELLATE DIVISI…
20-145 Carl Skidmore v. Joe A. Lizarraga, Warden Ninth Circuit 2020-08-12 Denied Response Waived certificate-of-appealability cumulative-error de-novo-review district-court evidentiary-hearing fact-finding habeas-corpus post-conviction speculative I. Whether a certificate of appealability should have issued to address the question whether a district court may deny a habeas corpus petition as "sp…
20-5221 Arthur James Martin v. Florida Florida 2020-07-30 Denied IFP brady-violation capital-trial criminal-procedure cumulative-error cumulative-error-analysis giglio-violation ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel post-conviction-relief strickland-test trial-counsel 1. Whether trial counsel's failure to investigate and present evidence that significantly undermines the State's case is deficient performance that re…
20-5086 Johnny Mack Sketo Calhoun v. Florida Florida 2020-07-16 Denied IFP brady-violation cumulative-error cumulative-error-analysis exculpatory-evidence giglio-violation ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel strickland-standard strickland-test trial-counsel 1. Whether trial counsel's failure to investigate and present exculpatory evidence, which significantly undermines the State's evidence is deficient p…
19-1338 Briley W. Piper v. Darrin Young, Warden South Dakota 2020-06-04 Denied criminal-procedure cumulative-error ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel jury-trial jury-trial-waiver plea-bargaining pre-plea-advisory prosecutorial-misconduct sixth-amendment sixth-amendment-right-to-jury-trial waiver-of-jury-sentencing waiver-of-jury-trial The South Dakota Supreme Court has ruled that Briley did not knowingly and intelligently waive his right to a jury trial. But the South Dakota Supreme…
19-7746 William A. Runnels v. Texas Texas 2020-02-24 Denied Response WaivedIFP child-discipline civil-rights constitutional-rights constitutional-rights-of-parents cumulative-error due-process ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel parental-discipline parental-rights reasonable-discipline strict-scrutiny substitutable-discipline Whether the trial court could infringe on, and take away, a parent's constitutional right to reasonable discipline of their child absent strict scruti…
19-6808 Phillip E. Smith v. Collins, First Name Unknown, et al. Ninth Circuit 2019-12-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP 28-usc-2253 certificate-of-appealability cumulative-error due-process fourteenth-amendment insufficient-evidence miller-el-v-cockrell ninth-circuit severance sixth-amendment slack-v-mcdaniel trial-severance video-evidence Did the Ninth Circuit err in denying a certificate of appealability to a petitioner who raised four substantial claims that his conviction was unconst…
19-5232 Ricky Ray Malone v. Tommy Sharp, Interim Warden Tenth Circuit 2019-07-18 Denied IFP chapman-standard chapman-v-california constitutional-violation criminal-procedure cumulative-error cumulative-error-analysis federal-law harmless-error harmlessness-review plain-error plain-error-review prejudice prejudice-component 1. Where plain error review includes a built-in prejudice component, is subjecting an acknowledged plain error to a second round of harmlessness revie…
18-9834 Carlos Alberto Ochoa-Orozco v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-06-27 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-error cumulative-error due-process fair-trial federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure ineffective-assistance-of-counsel ineffective-counsel plea-bargaining prosecutorial-misconduct rule-18 sentencing sixth-amendment venue venue-challenge 1. Whether the district court violated Appellant's right to due process, and his Sixth Amendment right to affair trial, where' the district court 'lac…
18-9409 Fermin Guerrero v. Martin Biter, Warden Ninth Circuit 2019-05-23 Denied Response WaivedIFP brady-violation constitutional-errors criminal-trial-errors cumulative-error cumulative-prejudice due-process eyewitness-testimony habeas-review ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel informant-testimony strickland strickland-standard strickland-violation 1. Does the Constitution require a court on habeas review to assess cumulatively the prejudice caused by multiple constitutional errors at a criminal …
18-9202 Edilberto Maso Diaz v. United States Fifth Circuit 2019-05-08 Denied Response WaivedIFP co-conspirator co-conspirator-testimony confrontation-clause conspiracy criminal-conviction criminal-procedure cumulative-error due-process evidence evidentiary-sufficiency fifth-circuit-review hearsay hearsay-evidence hearsay-statements jury-instructions standard-of-review trial-procedure 1) Did the Fifth Circuit err by affirming the district court admission of hearsay statements made by an unindicted co-conspirator over the objection o…
18-9120 Russell Frey v. Illinois Illinois 2019-05-03 Denied Response WaivedIFP constitutional-rights criminal-procedure criminal-sexual-assault cumulative-error due-process effective-assistance-of-counsel evidentiary-issues fair-trial harmless-error ineffective-assistance-of-counsel jury-trial prejudice right-to-counsel 1.)Does the defendant Russel' Frey deserve a new trial or conviction vacated based on counsels overall health and his performance overall violated def…
18-1313 Michael Moran v. California Ninth Circuit 2019-04-16 Denied Response Waived 14th-amendment 5th-amendment constitutional-rights cumulative-effect cumulative-error due-process fair-trial in-custody-statements miranda miranda-rights prosecutorial-misconduct right-to-a-fair-trial right-to-counsel right-to-present-a-defense Could a jurist of reason find that the state court unreasonably applied clearly established federal law in determining that admission of petitioner's …
18-8571 Javier Pellecer v. California California 2019-03-26 Denied Response WaivedIFP confrontation-clause constitutional-rights cumulative-error due-process fair-trial gang-evidence impartial-jury ineffective-assistance-of-counsel I. WHETHER THE SPECAL CIRCUMSTANCE AND GANG EVIDENCE ARE UNSUPPORTED BY SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE, DENYING PETITIONER DUE PROCESS OF LAW. II. WHETHER THE …
18-7888 Furn-Lee Salomon v. Patrick Nogan, Administrator, East Jersey State Prison, et al. Third Circuit 2019-02-11 Denied IFP constitutional-safeguards criminal-procedure cumulative-error due-process evidentiary-hearing ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel passport-fraud pre-trial-investigation prejudicial-testimony pretrial-investigation strategic-decision strickland-standard strickland-v-washington trial-counsel witness-testimony WAS TRIAL COUNSEL INEFFECTIVE FOR FAILING TO CONDUCT ANY PRETRIAL INVESTIGATIONS TO AT LEAST INTERVIEW POTENTIAL WITNESSES THAT COULD HAVE SUPPORTED P…
18-7703 Nathan Smith III v. Sherry Pennywell, et al. Ninth Circuit 2019-02-01 Denied IFP 2254(d)(2) cumulative-error de-novo-review deference due-process fact-finding fourteenth-amendment habeas-corpus habeas-corpus-review ineffective-assistance sixth-amendment standard-of-review unreasonable-determination 1) DID THE CCA SO STRETCH THE FACTS IN THIS CASE SO UNREASONABLY THAT NO DEFERENCE COULD BE POSSIBLE TO ITS INTERPETATION OF WHAT OCCURRED IN THE TACO…
18-7406 Benjamin James Boatman v. Ralph Diaz, Acting Secretary, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Ninth Circuit 2019-01-14 Denied IFP criminal-procedure cumulative-error drug-induced-psychosis due-process heat-of-passion ineffective-assistance jury-instructions prosecutorial-misconduct right-to-counsel Mr. Boatman alleged that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to conduct, develop, and present readily available evidence of a drug-induced psych…
18-742 Brandon Washington v. Alabama Alabama 2018-12-11 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2) constitutional-review cumulative-effect cumulative-error due-process ineffective-assistance performance prejudice prejudice-analysis right-to-counsel strickland-standard strickland-v-washington trial-counsel trial-counsel-errors Whether, under Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984), a court assessing the prejudice resulting from trial counsel's errors should consider ea…
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 DID THE TEXAS COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS APPLY THE WRONG STANDARD OF REVIEW IN ANALYZING THE CLAIM OF DEFICIENT PERFORMANCE BY TRIAL COUNSEL? DID THE …
18-6486 In Re Steve G. Hernandez 2018-10-29 Denied Response WaivedRelisted (2)IFP brady-material brady-violation civil-rights criminal-procedure cumulative-error due-process evidence-suppression impeachment ineffective-assistance perjury witness-impeachment (A) WHAT IS CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATION OF INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL WHEN: Trial counsel Quintino did not Investigate and Properly examine the FR…
18-6344 Brandon Eugene Lacy v. Arkansas Arkansas 2018-10-16 Denied IFP criminal-procedure cumulative-error cumulative-error-analysis fundamental-fairness habeas-corpus ineffective-assistance ineffective-assistance-of-counsel mental-health neuropsychological-evaluation neuropsychological-testing Sixth-Amendment strickland-standard Strickland-v-Washington 1. Whether the Arkansas Supreme Court misapplied this Court's ruling in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 688 (1984) by finding it reasonable for tri…
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…
18-5090 Quonshay Douglas-Ricardo Mason v. DeWayne Burton, Warden Sixth Circuit 2018-07-02 Denied Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP aedpa cumulative-error due-process habeas-corpus judicial-bias judicial-misconduct offutt-v-united-states sixth-circuit standard-of-review state-court-adjudication ungar-v-sarafite WHETHER THE SIXTH CIRCUIT, IN LIGHT OF THE CLEARLY ESTABLISHED HOLDINGS OF OFFUTT V. UNITED STATES, 348 U.S. 11, 13 (1954), AND UNGAR V. SARAFITE, 376…