Nathaniel West v. Donald Vaughn, Superintendent of Sci Graterford the District Attorney of County of Phila. The Attorney General of the State of Pa

OPINION OF THE COURT

BECKER, Chief Judge.

In Cage v. Louisiana, 498 U.S. 39, 111 S.Ct. 328, 112 L.Ed.2d 339 (1990) (per curiam), the Supreme Court taught that criminal convictions based on jury instructions that equate reasonable doubt with substantial doubt and grave uncertainty may suggest a lower standard of proof than that required by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In this state habeas corpus case arising under 28 U.S.C. § 2254, petitioner Nathaniel West claims that the jury charge in his Pennsylvania state court murder trial violated Cage, and that his counsel was…