Cochran v. Kansas

In 1933, the petitioner Cochran was convicted by a jury in a Kansas state court upon a charge of passing a $12.60 check with knowledge that it was forged. His motion for a new trial was overruled. Upon a finding that Cochran had previously been convicted of two other felonies, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment as an habitual criminal pursuant to a Kansas statute. Kan. Gen. Stat. (Corrick, 1935) § 21-107a. Two days later, he was sent to the state penitentiary, where he has since been confined.

In January, 1941, Cochran, acting in his own behalf, filed an original application for…