Lexie Little Carter v. Donald T. Vaughn

OPINION OF THE COURT

ROTH, Circuit Judge.

Appellant Lexie Little Carter, III appeals from the- district court’s denial of his habeas corpus petition. The court refused to consider the merits of- Carter’s petition on the grounds that he had failed to exhaust state remedies. We will reverse-this decision, and we will remand this case to the district court because the district court did not address whether Carter’s failure to appeal his claims through the state court system resulted in procedural default of his claims.

I

On July 1, 1991, Carter filed a petition for federal habeas corpus relief,…