Darryl Burton v. David Dormire, Jeremiah Nixon

BYE, Circuit Judge.

The writ of habeas corpus balances the constitutional imperative of a fair criminal trial with respect for * state court judgments and the finality thereby achieved for victims of crime and society at large. The writ serves as a “bulwark against convictions that violate fundamental fairness,” Engle v. Isaac, 456 U.S. 107, 126, 102 S.Ct. 1558, 71 L.Ed.2d 783 (1982) (quotation omitted), by providing “an additional safeguard against compelling an innocent man to suffer an unconstitutional loss of liberty.” Stone v. Powell, 428 U.S. 465, 491 n. 31, 96 S.Ct. 3037, 49 L.Ed.2d…