Ernest Randy Judd v. Michael W. Haley

WILSON, Circuit Judge:

Ernest Randy Judd, an Alabama prisoner, appeals from the district court’s dismissal of his petition for a writ of habeas corpus, filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Judd contends that the district court erred in finding that the doctrine of procedural default precluded federal review of his underlying constitutional claim — namely, that his right to a public trial under the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution was denied by the Alabama trial court. After reviewing the briefs and the record, and after the benefit of hearing oral argument, we conclude that the…