Jones v. Clarke

After a jury-waived trial, a Virginia state judge convicted Petitioner on charges of brand larceny and breaking and entering. The state appellate courts denied Petitioner’s direct appeal, and the state supreme court denied Petitioner’s habeas petition. Petitioner subsequently filed this federal habeas petition. The district court granted habeas relief on one claim, concluding that the state supreme court unreasonably applied Strickland v. Washington in rejecting Petitioner’s ineffective assistance of counsel claim. As a resulting, the court vacated Petitioner’s convictions and sentence. The Fourth Circuit vacated the portion of the district court’s order granting habeas relief and remanded for dismissal of the petition, holding that the Virginia Supreme Court did not unreasonably conclude that Petitioner failed to establish Strickland prejudice. View "Jones v. Clarke" on Justia Law