Rompilla v. Beard
| Rompilla v. Beard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued January 18, 2005 Decided June 20, 2005 | |
| Full case name | Ronald Rompilla, Petitioner v. Jeffrey A. Beard, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections |
| Docket no. | 04-5462 |
| Citations | 545 U.S. 374 (more) |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Case history | |
| Prior | 355 F.3d 233 (CA3 2004) |
| Holding | |
| Even when a capital defendant and his family members have suggested that no mitigating evidence is available, his lawyer is bound to make reasonable efforts to obtain and review material that counsel knows the prosecution will probably rely on as evidence of aggravation at the trial’s sentencing phase. United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Souter, joined by Stevens, O'Connor, Ginsburg, Breyer |
| Concurrence | O'Connor |
| Dissent | Kennedy, joined by Rehnquist, Scalia, Thomas |
Rompilla v. Beard, 545 U.S. 374 (2005), is a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States on June 20, 2005. In a majority opinion authored by Justice David Souter, the Court held 5–4 that the petitioner, convicted murderer Ronald Rompilla, had received ineffective assistance of counsel due to his lawyer's failure to adequately investigate and obtain evidence that the lawyer knew the prosecution would likely use against the defendant. It therefore reversed the prior ruling to the contrary by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. It was the third major case in five years in which the Supreme Court had invalidated a death sentence on the basis of ineffective assistance of counsel.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ Cawley, Whitney (2012-03-10). "Raising the Bar: How Rompilla v. Beard Represents the Court's Increasing Efforts to Impose Stricter Standards for Defense Lawyering in Capital Cases". Pepperdine Law Review. 34 (4).
External links[edit]
- Text of Rompilla v. Beard is available from: Cornell Google Scholar Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)
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