Opinion ID: 34456
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Standard for Granting Relief

Text: 19 In a habeas corpus appeal, we review the district court's findings of fact for clear error and its conclusions of law de novo, applying the same standards to the state court's decision as did the district court. Martinez v. Johnson, 255 F.3d 229, 237 (5th Cir.2001). Busby's habeas petition is governed by the standards established by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA), Pub.L. No. 104-132, 110 Stat. 1214 (1996). 20 Under AEDPA, we may not grant relief on a claim that the state courts have adjudicated on the merits unless the adjudication of the claim ... 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. 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(1) (2000). A state court's decision is deemed contrary to clearly established federal law if it relies on legal rules that directly conflict with prior holdings of the Supreme Court or if it reaches a different conclusion than the Supreme Court on materially indistinguishable facts. Williams v. Taylor, 529 U.S. 362, 405-06, 120 S.Ct. 1495, 146 L.Ed.2d 389 (2000). A state court's decision runs afoul of the unreasonable application prong of § 2254(d)(1) if the state court correctly identifies the governing legal principle from our decisions but unreasonably applies it to the facts of the particular case. Bell v. Cone, 535 U.S. 685, 694, 122 S.Ct. 1843, 152 L.Ed.2d 914 (2002). The Supreme Court has made it clear that an unreasonable application is different from an incorrect application. Id. Finally, we presume that the state court's factual determinations are correct, and we may grant relief only if a factual determination is unreasonable based on the evidence presented to the state court. 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)(2), (e)(1). 21