Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/boundvolumes/529bv.pdf
Page Number: 502.0

529US2

Unit: $U47

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Cite as: 529 U. S. 420 (2000)

427

Opinion of the Court

of Virginia afﬁrmed petitioner’s convictions and sentence,
Williams v. Commonwealth, 248 Va. 528, 450 S. E. 2d 365
(1994), and we denied certiorari, Williams v. Virginia, 515
U. S. 1161 (1995).
In a separate proceeding, Cruse pleaded
guilty to the capital murder of Mrs. Keller and the ﬁrst-
degree murder of Mr. Keller. After the prosecution asked
the sentencing court to spare his life because of his tes-
timony against petitioner, Cruse was sentenced to life
imprisonment.

Petitioner ﬁled a habeas petition in state court alleging, in
relevant part, that the Commonwealth failed to disclose a
second agreement it had reached with Cruse after the ﬁrst
one was revoked. The new agreement, petitioner alleged,
was an informal undertaking by the prosecution to rec-
ommend a life sentence in exchange for Cruse’s testimony.
Finding no merit to petitioner’s claims, the Virginia Supreme
Court dismissed the habeas petition, and we again denied
certiorari. Williams v. Netherland, 519 U. S. 877 (1996).

Petitioner ﬁled a habeas petition in the United States Dis-
trict Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on November
In addition to his claim regarding the alleged un-
20, 1996.
disclosed agreement between the Commonwealth and Cruse,
the petition raised three claims relevant to questions now
before us. First, petitioner claimed the prosecution had vio-
lated Brady v. Maryland, 373 U. S. 83 (1963), in failing to
disclose a report of a conﬁdential pretrial psychiatric exami-
nation of Cruse. Second, petitioner alleged his trial was
rendered unfair by the seating of a juror who at voir dire
had not revealed possible sources of bias. Finally, petitioner
alleged one of the prosecutors committed misconduct in fail-
ing to reveal his knowledge of the juror’s possible bias.

The District Court granted an evidentiary hearing on the
undisclosed agreement and the allegations of juror bias and
prosecutorial misconduct but denied a hearing on the psychi-
atric report. Before the evidentiary hearing could be held,
the Commonwealth ﬁled an application for an emergency