Schmitt v. Kelly

Petitioner-appellant John Yancey Schmitt appeals the district court’s denial of his habeas petition filed under 28 U.S.C.A. § 2254 (West Supp.2005). The district court granted a certificate of appealability to Schmitt on the following six claims: (1) whether the Virginia Supreme Court’s holding that the exclusion of evidence relating to general prison security and prison life at state prisons was reasonable under Supreme Court precedent; (2) whether impeachment evidence suppressed by the prosecution violated Brady; 1 (3) whether Schmitt’s trial counsel were ineffective for failing to preserve…