Supreme Court to consider federal habeas corpus limits in upcoming argument

The Supreme Court will hear oral argument on November 4 in the case of Guerrero v. Johnson, SCOTUSblog reported. The case centers on the limited circumstances in which a state prisoner can return to federal court for a second round of post-conviction review. [1]

State prisoners seeking to challenge the grounds for their detention must typically file a habeas claim. According to SCOTUSblog, the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 established strict limits to curb the overall number of those petitions. [1]

Under a specific provision of the 1996 law, a new claim in a second federal habeas petition is barred unless it meets one of two statutory exceptions, SCOTUSblog reported. The justices will debate when an established rule is considered previously unavailable to a petitioner. [1]

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the federal judiciary. It holds ultimate appellate jurisdiction over federal cases and state court cases that involve questions of constitutional or federal law. [2]