Shelton Jones v. William Stephens, Director

PER CURIAM. *

Shelton Denoria Jones was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in Texas state court. In a state habeas corpus proceeding, Jones asserted that he was not afforded a fair trial because of the presence of uniformed police officers in the gallery during his trial. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (TCCA) concluded that this fair-trial claim was not timely filed, deemed the claim to have been asserted in a successive application, and denied the claim without considering the merits. Jones then filed a habeas corpus petition in federal district court. The district court…