Collins v. Virginia, USSC No. 16-1027, cert granted 9/28/17; lower court opinion; USSC docket; SCOTUSblog page Question presented: Whether the Fourth Amendment’s automobile exception permits a police officer, uninvited and without a warrant, to enter private property, approach a house and search a vehicle parked a few feet from the house. Two police officers were looking… Read more
A. Cert Grants
Byrd v. United States, USSC No. 2016-1371, cert granted 9/28/17; 3rd Circuit’s opinion; docket; SCOTUSblog page Question presented: A police officer may not conduct a suspicionless and warrantless search of a car if the driver has a reasonable expectation of privacy in the car–i.e., an expectation of privacy that society accepts as reasonable. Does a… Read more
McCoy v. Louisiana, USSC No. 16-8255, cert granted 9/28/17 Question presented: Is it unconstitutional for defense counsel to concede an accused’s guilt over the accused’s express objection? Decision below: State v. McCoy, 218 So.3d 535 (La. 2016) USSC Docket Scotusblog page (including links to cert petition and responses; briefs; and commentary) You’d think the answer… Read more
City of Hays, Kansas v. Vogt, USSC No. 16-1495, cert granted 9/28/17 Question presented: Whether the Fifth Amendment is violated when statements are used at a probable cause hearing but not at a criminal trial. Decision below: Vogt v. City of Hays, Kansas, 844 F.3d 1235 (10th Cir. 2017) USSC Docket Scotusblog page (includes links… Read more
Rosales-Mireles v. United States, USSC No. 16-9493, cert granted 9/28/17 Question presented: In United States v. Olano, this Court held that, under the fourth prong of plain error review, “[t]he Court of Appeals should correct a plain forfeited error affecting substantial rights if the error ‘seriously affect[s] the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial… Read more
Question presented: Did the Supreme Court’s decision in Harrington v. Richter, 562 U.S. 86 (2011), silently abrogate the presumption set forth in Ylst v. Nunnemaker, 501 U.S. 797 (1991)—that a federal court sitting in habeas proceedings should “look through” a summary state court ruling to review the last reasoned decision—as a slim majority of the… Read more
Question presented: Whether, when this court held in Ake v. Oklahoma, 470 U.S. 68 (1985), that an indigent defendant is entitled to meaningful expert assistance for the “evaluation, preparation, and presentation of the defense,” it clearly established that the expert should be independent of the prosecution. Lower court decision: McWilliams v. Commissioner, Ala. Dep’t of Corr… Read more
Question presented: Whether a defendant asserting ineffective assistance that results in a structural error must, in addition to demonstrating deficient performance, show that he was prejudiced by counsel’s ineffectiveness, as held by four circuits and five state courts of last resort; or whether prejudice is presumed in such cases, as held by four other circuits… Read more
