Lockett v. State

Aljay Lockett was convicted of theft in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County. In 1992, he petitioned that court for a writ of habeas corpus, asserting that his 1982 arrest for theft was illegal and that the Montgomery Circuit Court had had no jurisdiction to convict him. The circuit court dismissed the habeas corpus petition, finding that the issues raised could have been raised on direct appeal and that they were, therefore, not cognizable in a habeas corpus proceeding. The Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the judgment and remanded the case, directing the trial court to return Lockett's…