Legal Opinion
Marcus Bernard Williams v. State of Alabama
Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Decided June 26, 2015No. 12-14937PublishedCited by 17 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
MARTIN, Circuit Judge:
Marcus Bernard Williams, an Alabama death-row prisoner, appeals the District Court’s denial of his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. He argues that his lawyers were ineffective during the penalty phase of his capital murder trial because they failed to investigate, discover, or present as mitigating evidence the fact that he suffered sexual abuse as a child. The only question we answer today concerns the applicable standard of review. Although Mr. Williams’s failure-to-investigate claims were fairly presented in state court, they were not decided “on the merits”…
2Cases cited27 opinions
- Strickland v. WashingtonSupreme Court of the United States · 1984
- Brady v. MarylandSupreme Court of the United States · 1963
- Harrington v. RichterSupreme Court of the United States · 2011
- Cullen v. PinholsterSupreme Court of the United States · 2011
- Wiggins v. Smith, WardenSupreme Court of the United States · 2003
22 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by17 opinions
- Daniel v. Commissioner, Alabama Department of CorrectionsCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit · 2016
- Ronald Clark, Jr. . Attorney General, State of FLCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit · 2016
- Michael David Carruth v. Commissioner, Alabama Department of CorrectionsCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit · 2024
- Marcus Bernard Williams v. State of AlabamaCourt of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit · 2023
- Overton v. JonesDistrict Court, S.D. Florida · 2016
12 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.