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Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254)

Every decision we've filed under Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254).

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Apr 10 2026
10th Cir. 1:24-CV-01837-RMR) Panel Decision

SCOTT WILLIAM WYBAN v. MOSES STANCIL, Director, CDOC; BARRY GOODRICH, Warden; THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF COLORADO

The Tenth Circuit denied Scott William Wyban a certificate of appealability, ruling that his ineffective assistance of counsel claims lacked substantial grounds for relief. The court affirmed the district court's denial of his habeas petition, finding that trial counsel's strategic decisions were within the wide range of professionally competent assistance.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254) Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
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Apr 7 2026
10th Cir. 2:22-CV-00942-MV-SCY) Panel Decision

JESUS DOMINGUEZ v. M. RIOS; ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO

The Tenth Circuit denied Jesus Dominguez's request for a certificate of appealability, upholding the district court's dismissal of his federal habeas petition as untimely. The court found that Dominguez failed to show that reasonable jurists could debate the correctness of the procedural ruling regarding the statute of limitations.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254) Statute of Limitations
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Apr 3 2026
11th Cir. 1:07-cv-01276-KOB Published

MARCUS BERNARD WILLIAMS v. STATE OF ALABAMA

The Eleventh Circuit reversed the district court's grant of habeas relief, holding that Marcus Bernard Williams failed to demonstrate prejudice under Strickland v. Washington. The court concluded that Alabama courts would likely have weighed Williams's severe aggravating circumstances more heavily than his new mitigation evidence regarding childhood trauma.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254) Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
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Apr 2 2026
6th Cir. 24-1751 Published

BARBARA JEAN MERCER v. ANTHONY STEWART, Warden

The Sixth Circuit reversed the district court's grant of habeas relief, holding that the state court's refusal to provide a defense-of-others jury instruction was not objectively unreasonable under AEDPA standards. The court concluded that the evidence did not support a reasonable inference that the petitioner acted to protect others from imminent harm, rendering the instructional error harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254) Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
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Apr 2 2026
6th Cir. 24-1707 Published

BARBARA JEAN MERCER v. ANTHONY STEWART, Warden

The Sixth Circuit reversed the district court's grant of habeas relief, holding that the state court's refusal to provide a defense-of-others jury instruction was not objectively unreasonable under AEDPA standards. The court found no constitutional violation in the trial proceedings regarding the jury instructions or other claims, thereby reinstating Mercer's conviction and denying her federal relief.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254) Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
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Apr 2 2026
4th Cir. 25-6067 Per Curiam

James Benjamin Charles v. Eddie M. Buffaloe, Jr.

The Fourth Circuit dismissed an appeal from a district court's denial of a habeas corpus petition because the petitioner failed to meet the statutory threshold for appellate review. The court held that the prisoner did not make a substantial showing that reasonable jurists could find the lower court's assessment of his constitutional claims debatable or wrong.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254)
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Apr 1 2026
11th Cir. 8:21-cv-00167-WFJ-SPF Per Curiam

Michael Henderson v. Secretary, Department of Corrections, Attorney General, State of Florida

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the denial of Michael Henderson's federal habeas petition, ruling that his trial counsel's performance did not fall below an objective standard of reasonableness. The court found no reasonable probability that securing Richardson hearings or deposing a detective would have altered the outcome of Henderson's capital sexual battery conviction.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - General (28 USC 2241) Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254) Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
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Mar 31 2026
10th Cir. 4:23-CV-00061-JFH-SH Panel Decision

STEVEN LEE ADAIR v. CHRIS RANKINS, Warden

The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability and dismissed an appeal filed by a state prisoner challenging the timeliness of his habeas petition. The court held that the petitioner's jurisdictional challenge was subject to the one-year statute of limitations under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254) Statute of Limitations
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Mar 30 2026
7th Cir. 24-3346 Panel Decision

MAURICE J. HOLT v. GARY BOUGHTON

The Seventh Circuit reversed a district court's grant of habeas relief, holding that the Wisconsin Court of Appeals reasonably applied federal standards in rejecting a defendant's claims regarding excluded evidence and ineffective assistance of counsel. The appellate court found that the state court's decision was not an unreasonable application of Supreme Court precedent under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254) Sixth Amendment - Confrontation Clause Sixth Amendment - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
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Mar 30 2026
10th Cir. 1:24-CV-01979-SKC Panel Decision

Kevin A. Larson v. Shane Stucker; The Attorney General of the State of Colorado

The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit denied a certificate of appealability to a Colorado prisoner seeking federal habeas corpus relief. The court affirmed the district court's rejection of claims regarding excluded evidence, the invocation of the Fifth Amendment privilege by a witness, and ineffective assistance of counsel.

Constitutional Habeas Corpus - State Prisoner (28 USC 2254) Mandatory Minimum
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