Opinion ID: 39521
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The AEDPA Standard of Review

Text: 54 We have no authority to grant habeas corpus relief simply because we conclude, in our independent judgment, that a state supreme court's application of [federal law] is erroneous or incorrect. Martinez v. Dretke, 404 F.3d 878, 884 (5th Cir.2005) (quoting Neal v. Puckett, 286 F.3d 230, 236 (5th Cir.2002) (en banc)). Because Kittelson filed his federal habeas petition on September 11, 2003, the petition is subject to review under the standards established in the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (AEDPA). Lindh v. Murphy, 521 U.S. 320, 336, 117 S.Ct. 2059, 138 L.Ed.2d 481 (1997). Section 2254(d)(1) of that law establishes the narrow conditions under which a federal court may grant a petition for a writ of habeas corpus: 55 An application for a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a State court shall not be granted with respect to any claim that was adjudicated on the merits in State court proceedings unless the adjudication of the claim 56 (1) resulted in a decision that was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States; or 57 (2) resulted in a decision that was based on an unreasonable determination of the facts in light of the evidence presented in the State court proceeding. 58 Section 2254(d)(1) addresses pure questions of law and mixed questions of law and fact. Martin v. Cain, 246 F.3d 471, 475 (5th Cir.2001). Under the first (contrary to) clause, a federal court may grant habeas relief if the state court decided a case differently from how the United States Supreme Court decided a case on a set of materially indistinguishable facts. Williams v. Taylor, 529 U.S. 362, 412-13, 120 S.Ct. 1495, 146 L.Ed.2d 389 (2000). Under the second (unreasonable application) clause, a court may grant habeas relief if the state court correctly divined a legal principle from the Supreme Court's jurisprudence but misapplied that principle to the facts. Section 2254(d)(2) addresses pure questions of fact. Moore v. Johnson, 225 F.3d 495, 501, 504 (5th Cir.2000). We review the federal district court's determinations of law under AEDPA de novo. Mann v. Scott, 41 F.3d 968, 973 (5th Cir.1994).