Littlejohn v. Royal

HOLMES, Circuit Judge,

Following various Oklahoma state-court proceedings, an Oklahoma jury convicted Emmanuel Littlejohn of first-degree murder and sentenced him to death. This case—which comes before us for a secohd time—arises from the district court’s denial of Mr. Littlejohn’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C.- § 2254.

The first time around the district court found Mr. Littlejohn’s ineffective-assistance and cumulative-error claims—among twelve other bases for relief—meritless or procedurally barred. Reviewing the district court’s conclusions de novo, we addressed the…