Today, the Supreme Court of the United States issued the following decision:
Mays v. Hines, No. 20-507: A Tennessee jury convicted respondent Anthony Hines of murdering a woman at the motel at which she worked. Decades later, on federal habeas review, the Sixth Circuit determined Hines was entitled to a new trial and sentence on the basis that his trial attorney rendered ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to try harder at trial to blame another man for the crime. Today, the Court reversed, holding in a per curiam opinion that the Sixth Circuit’s disregard of the overwhelming evidence of guilt that supported the conclusion of the Tennessee Court in rejecting Hines’ petition for post-conviction review, plainly violated Congress’ prohibition on disturbing state-court judgments on federal habeas review absent an error that lies beyond any possibility for fairminded disagreement. Justice Sotomayor dissented.
View the Court's decision.
Today, the Supreme Court of the United States granted certiorari in the following case:
Cameron v. EMW Women’s Surgical Center, P.S.C., No. 20-601: This abortion-related case presents the question of whether a state attorney general vested with the power to defend state law should be permitted to intervene after a federal court of appeals invalidates a state statute when no other state actor will defend the law.