Ellis v. Quay

ORDER DISMISSING PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS

JEFFREY ALKER MEYER, District Judge.

This is a case about the cost of finality. The criminal law prizes the principle of finality- — that convictions and sentences must not be subject to endless challenge and review, perhaps not even if the law evolves to make a ruling that was “right” yesterday “wrong” today. And so Congress and the federal courts have taken many steps in recent years to raise procedural bars restricting the rights of prisoners to file habeas petitions or to pursue other motions for post-conviction relief.1

To be sure, these…