Supreme Court to Review Arizona Death Row Inmate’s Sentence

The Supreme Court has agreed to review the death sentence imposed on an Arizona inmate who claims he received ineffective assistance from counsel during the sentencing process.

The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees a criminal defendant the right to effective assistance of counsel.

In the case, the state of Arizona is appealing a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit that the death row inmate was entitled to a new sentencing hearing.

The inmate argues that his lawyer failed to secure a mental health expert and conduct appropriate medical tests in a timely manner during sentencing.

The case comes after the Supreme Court cracked down on ineffective-assistance-from-counsel claims in May 2022.
In Shinn v. Ramirez, the court held 6-3 that federal courts reviewing inmate cases may not conduct evidentiary hearings to fully examine ineffective-counsel claims that should have been raised in state court proceedings.

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