Jessie Earl Purvis v. James Crosby

CARNES, Circuit Judge:

Jessie Earl Purvis is a convicted child molester seeking to have his conviction set aside under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 because his trial counsel did not object when the state trial court cleared the courtroom of most of the public during the young victim’s testimony. The district court, like the state courts, rejected Purvis’ claim that his attorney’s inaction deprived him of his constitutionally guaranteed right to effective assistance of counsel, and we granted a certificate of appealability on the issue. We address, among other things, the question of whether the structural…